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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26571451">Secret Friends</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrimsonNight14/pseuds/CrimsonNight14'>CrimsonNight14</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Secret Friends Universe [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Game Grumps</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - High School, Angry Maurette Hanson, Arin Hanson Doesn't Like Attention, Arin Hanson Wants Friends, Arin Hanson and Dan Avidan Play DBD, Arin Hanson is Shy, Bad First Impressions, Brief Mentions of Bullying (Chapter 3), Class Clown Dan Avidan, Complete, Crying, Dan Avidan Cries, Dan Avidan Has Self-Esteem Issues, Dan Avidan and Mark Fischbach Are Close, Dan's House, Forbidden Friendship, Gen, Happy Ending, High School, Jokes, Junior Dan Avidan, Male Friendship, Maurette Hanson Means Well, New Kid Arin Hanson, Nothing Romantic Between Mark Fischbach and Dan Avidan, Overprotective Maurette Hanson, Platonic Relationships, Secrets, Self-Esteem Issues, Sophomore Arin Hanson, Teacher Mark Fischbach, Teacher-Student Relationship, Troublemaker Dan Avidan, Trust, change of heart, passing notes in class</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 11:00:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>20,910</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26571451</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrimsonNight14/pseuds/CrimsonNight14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>High school. These years can make or break everyone. And, for Dan, it just may break him. Judged and feared by his peers for the way he looks, his only friend is his English teacher, Mark Fischbach. </p><p>Everything changes when the new kid sits next to him in English class. Somehow, this new boy doesn't seem scared, even though Dan thinks he probably should be. Hell, Dan's even scared of himself. </p><p>A few weeks into his Sophomore Year, Arin is given an unwanted schedule change. As if being in a brand new school wasn't bad, now he has two new classes that he's three weeks behind in and new people to dislike him. Although, it looks like he got lucky and the seat next to him in English is totally empty. At least, that's until a tall boy, clad entirely in black, storms into the classroom late, insults the teacher, then plops down beside him. </p><p>Even though Arin thinks he should probably share the same warry looks as his classmates, he can't help but notice a hint of sadness in Dan's gaze, the sight making him want to reach out and become his friend. </p><p>What happens when, even after getting through Dan's walls, Arin's mom tries to tear them apart? Will their new friendship stand, or will they be torn apart?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>No Romantic Relationship(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Secret Friends Universe [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2246823</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. New Teacher, New Expectations</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi everyone! :) Hope you enjoy the first chapter of my new Game Grumps story!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Arin's pov</p><p>“Alright, Class! Everyone, take your seats!” My new teacher shouts as the classroom door opens, a look of disappointment and resignation momentarily overtaking his pronounced features as he notices all his students standing haphazardly about his classroom.</p><p>Great, my new teacher is going to be one of those strict, no-nonsense teachers who never let anyone have fun! Can’t wait for this year to suck!</p><p>Why couldn’t I have just stayed in my old classroom?</p><p>Audible groans echo throughout the classroom as students slowly leave the corners of the rooms and hop off their desks, instead moving to sit in their seats like normal people.</p><p>From what I can tell, I’m the only person who doesn’t make a sound of complaint, glare daggers at the teacher, or whisper cruel names as his back is turned. Part of me wants to join the collective and lash out at our teacher but, as the new kid, I don’t want to draw any extra attention to myself.</p><p>Instead of vocalizing my unhappiness with this situation, I just continue quietly sitting in the middle row, as far-right in the classroom I can get, choosing the opposite side of the door. As much as I like being close to an exit at all times, just in case an earthquake or something happens, since, well, it's California, I know most students flock to the door for an easy getaway once that beloved bell rings. I don’t want to cause any problems by choosing a seat too close to the door, so I might as well just stay as far away as possible.</p><p>With a frown, I pause in sketching a realistic-style drawing of Nate, my older brother, and I as kids at the park. While carefully studying the drawing on the first page of my new notebook, I try to decide what feels wrong about it. In the drawing, a much smaller version of me is sliding down a big twisting slide at our old park. Nate’s back is turned in the drawing, but that’s because he is waiting next to the bottom of the slide for me to happily run to him. </p><p>It takes a few more seconds, but a triumphant smile crosses my face when I realize what was bothering me about the sketch. With gentle strokes, I begin shading in a strip of my hair much darker than the rest. Even though my drawing is only made of pencil, I still am determined to include my beloved blonde streak of hair. I didn’t even have that streak as a kid but, ever since I dyed that part of my hair blonde last year, it has become such an essential element of my overall appearance. I can scarcely even remember a time before I had my hair like this.</p><p>As I finish shading my hair, once again admiring my first realistic piece, I dully hope that no one sits next to me.</p><p>Or that I didn’t steal anyone’s seat.</p><p>It’s three weeks into the school year, so everyone has already chosen and claimed their seats, like a bunch of animals marking their territory. I didn’t transfer to this school late but, being that I am in an entirely new classroom, I might as well have done so. Last Friday, I had to get a schedule change, against my will, might I add, simply because there were too many people in two of my classes. Now, I’m the new kid for the second time this year, and I hate it.</p><p>I really hope no one tries to talk to me.</p><p>I just want to learn English and draw in peace for the next hour and a half, then go home. Is that too much to ask for?</p><p>“Who are you?” I hear a deep male voice bark at me, the sound of it causing my head to snap up as my pencil flies from my hand, landing a few feet away from me on the ground underneath an empty desk.</p><p>Well, so much for no one talking to me.</p><p>I see that my teacher, who has a dark brown mustache, carefully styled chestnut-colored hair with bright red tips, and deep brown eyes that watch me with suspicion, stands directly in front of me, leaning way too far over my desk.</p><p>“I-I’m Arin. Arin Hanson," I whisper nervously as I stare at his chest, unable to look him in the eyes. "My English and History classes had too many students, so I was given a schedule change.” </p><p>After a few more seconds of avoiding eye-contact, I am surprised to realize that he's wearing a graphic t-shirt of the game Five Nights at Freddy’s.</p><p>Wow, I have a teacher who likes video games?! I don’t play FNAF, but it seems like we might have a similar interest in video games. </p><p>The man, who looks to be in his early twenties, only grunts in response, but, when I look into his eyes again, I see an underlying softness mingled with the pools of brown.</p><p>Maybe this teacher isn’t as bad as he first seemed.</p><p>“Welcome to the class then, Arin," My teacher says with a soft smile, causing me to give him a shy smile of my own. </p><p>Then, as his smile turns into a less-than-subtle smirk, he continues, "Since it’s your first day, I’ll throw you a freebie. The seat you’re in right now 'belongs' to someone already. He’s a Junior in the class and tries to act intimidating because of it. So, if you don’t want to make any enemies, the only open seat in the class is one next to where you are right now.”</p><p>I freeze, feeling myself begin to panic, realizing how royally I could have fucked up.</p><p>Even though I’m actually a Sophomore, most people think I’m barely even a Freshman because of my size.</p><p>Each day, I desperately hope that this growth spurt my mom keeps talking about will come soon, but, so far, I’ve only been disappointed.</p><p>If this Junior who I stole the seat of tried to pick a fight with me, I wouldn’t stand a chance.</p><p>While feeling a little shaky, I quickly gather my things and stand.</p><p>As I begin grabbing my disgraded pencil and moving to the next closest desk, I whisper nervously, “Thanks for telling me. I... I’ve had a hard time making friends since I’m new this year, so I appreciate all the help I can get.”</p><p>“Anytime, kiddo. Also, I know this isn’t the ‘cool’ thing to do, but my door is always open during lunch. I have quite a few students who come in here each day to draw, read, or play games,” my teacher says with a soft smile, his words causing me to smile widely.</p><p>That sounds awesome!</p><p>Yeah, this teacher is definitely better than I originally gave him credit for.</p><p>“Thank you. I might take you up on the offer,” I say with a shy smile as I settle in my new seat, wondering for the first time if maybe this schedule change wasn’t all bad.</p><p>Maybe things will start looking up from here.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey everyone! :D</p><p>Thank you for reading the first chapter of my first ever Game Grumps fanfiction! I hope you enjoyed it!</p><p>I've been watching Game Grumps for a little over 6 years now but, within the last couple weeks, I fell headfirst into the amazing stories of this fandom! There's no escape now... lol.</p><p>So, since I have started reading a bunch of stories about the Grumps, I knew it would only be a matter of time before I started writing my own stories :)</p><p>My favorite types of stories so far have been high school AUs, so you can definitely expect more of those from me in the future. I'm actually working on several high school AUs right now but, since the others are longer one-shots, this was the first story I finished, and now here we are!</p><p>I decided to try several new things with this story, so I'm excited to see how it goes! 1. This is the shortest chapter of any story I have ever written. Usually, my chapters average about 3k words but, for the first time, I decided to try shorter chapters but with more overall. 2. I'm trying something new with dialogue. Usually, I'll do long strings of dialogue, but I'm trying to break them up into more natural-sounding ones, like I did with the story summary. 3. I'm going to give each chapter a title! I have literally never tried this, so, I thought it could be fun to experiment with something new. 4. I'm going to try uploading chapters as I finish them instead of having an update schedule. This last one is mostly due to school (I'm attending my second year of university, but everything is fully-online now), so, I don't want to feel pressured to update at specific times of the week. I have literally no idea when chapters will come out now, so, it will be a surprise for all of us ;)</p><p>Alright, that's all I have for now! Thanks again for reading, and I'm looking forward to seeing you all in the future! :)</p><p>- Crimson</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. New Class, New Faces</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Arin and Dan meet for the first time. Shennagins ensue...</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Arin's pov</p>
<p>About a minute after my conversation with the teacher, the bell rings, instantly cutting off the low murmurs of voices within the classroom.</p>
<p>Even though I’ve been hearing this bell several times a day for 3 weeks now, I can’t help but cringe at the unnecessarily shrill and piercing ringing that echoes throughout the room.</p>
<p>As I resist the urge to cover my ears, the few seconds while the bell rings feeling like hours, I notice the door fling open, slamming into the classroom wall hard.</p>
<p>My teacher rolls his eyes and sighs as his gaze, along with everyone else’s in the class, is drawn to the figure at the door.</p>
<p>The second I lay eyes on this boy, I gulp involuntarily, feeling extremely nervous when I realize that the only unoccupied seat in the class is next to me.</p>
<p>Oh fuck.</p>
<p>The boy, who looks to be several years older than me, is extremely tall, his lanky figure towering over everyone, including our teacher. His lean arms are encased in a black leather jacket that screams: <em> don’t fuck with me</em>. To match his jacket, he is wearing black skinny jeans that hug his figure tightly and black boots that rise to his shin. A mop of curly dark brown hair sits atop his head, his afro seeming like it has never even seen a comb a day in his life. As he stands in the doorway, a huge smirk plastered on his face, I notice a dangerous twinkle in his dark, almost black, eyes.</p>
<p>“You’re late, Dan. Again,” my teacher says in a bored tone with a heavy sigh as he moves from behind his desk.</p>
<p>As he starts walking toward the whiteboard in the center of the class, I turn my attention back to Dan, who is still casually leaning against the doorframe.</p>
<p>“Actually, Mark, I was right on time. I came as the bell rang, not after it,” Dan says in a sing-song tone, his voice much lower and more gravely-sounding than I anticipated, his smirk deepening as he speaks.</p>
<p>“Regardless of when you <em>entered </em>the classroom, you weren’t in your seat by the bell, making you late,” my teacher says with a smirk of his own, causing Dan to huff and roll his eyes. “Also, just because you’re repeating my class does not give you special treatment. You, along with everyone else, should call me ‘Mr. Fischbach’. Now, get to your seat before I send you to detention.”</p>
<p>“Sure, Mr. Fuckbach,” Dan says without missing a beat, a gigantic smile on his face as he struts toward his seat.</p>
<p>The entire class erupts into a chorus of laughter at Dan's words, but, as the student’s laughter echoes throughout the room, I can’t bring myself to join them.</p>
<p>I tear my eyes away from Dan’s still-approaching figure and look at our teacher, feeling bad for the way Dan treated him.</p>
<p>I expect him to be furious, maybe even on the brink of tears after Dan’s comment, but, much to my shock, he is smiling along with the rest of the class.</p>
<p>He just got insulted and he’s… trying not to laugh?</p>
<p>This is a weird class.</p>
<p>After another minute of everyone but me laughing, Mr. Fischbach says in a tone dripping with sarcasm, “Alright, now that our comedic genius Dan has blessed us with his presence and wit, will you all settle down so you can learn something today?”</p>
<p>Other than a few more giggles sounding throughout the room, everyone becomes quiet again, allowing Mr. Fischbach to start today’s class, nearly ten minutes after the actual bell rang.</p>
<p>Several minutes into Mr. Fischbach’s lecture introducing the book <span class="u"> Animal Farm</span>, I feel like someone is watching me intently.</p>
<p>I do my best to ignore the feeling of someone watching me, wanting to focus on the lecture since this is a brand new class for me. </p>
<p>Despite trying my hardest to remain focused on Mr. Fischbach, the hairs on the back of my neck begin to stand on end as I feel myself start to sweat, hating the feeling of unwanted attention on me.</p>
<p>What the hell does he want from me?</p>
<p>Why does Dan keep staring at me?</p>
<p>I purposely avoid looking in his direction, not wanting to acknowledge how badly his constant attention is bothering me.</p>
<p>I'll just keep ignoring him.</p>
<p>How hard can it be?</p>
<p>It's so fucking hard.</p>
<p>After another minute of still feeling his eyes on me, I can’t take it anymore.</p>
<p>While gritting my teeth, I angrily tear out a piece of paper from my notebook, ignoring the few raised eyebrows and surprised looks that are sent in my direction.</p>
<p>With shaky fingers, I nervously scribble on the torn notebook paper: <em> If you want to talk to me, just say something. You don’t have to keep checking me out like that. It’s creepy. </em></p>
<p>Desperately hoping that my teasing comment won’t cause Dan to kick my ass, I carefully toss the paper onto the corner of his desk, all the while not making eye contact with him.</p>
<p>Feeling even more nervous, I quickly turn my attention back to the whiteboard, trying hard to focus on Mr. Fischbach’s lecture.</p>
<p>I hear a soft scoff beside me, the sound making me turn toward Dan.</p>
<p>Glancing at Dan for only a second, I see him hunched over the piece of paper I threw to him, writing something back using his left hand. Interesting. I hardly ever see someone write with their left hand.</p>
<p>Before he can notice me looking, I quickly turn my attention back to my notebook.</p>
<p>I suppress a heavy sigh when I take in the writing on my piece of notes. Or rather, the lack of writing. Other than my title of <em> Animal Farm Notes</em>, all I have written is: <em> about animals who can talk</em>.</p>
<p>I’m so screwed.</p>
<p>The first test will come around and I’m going to do awful because I was passing notes in class with a guy who I don’t even want to talk to, but I have to or else he will stare at me the whole damn hour we have left.</p>
<p>When the crumpled piece of notebook paper returns to me, landing right in the center of my blank page of notes, I am tempted to tear up the paper without reading, just to spite Dan.</p>
<p>I really want to just ignore his note, but then I remember that he’s about six feet, and I’m barely even 5’4. </p>
<p>Self-preservation wins over my dislike of him.</p>
<p>While hoping our teacher doesn’t notice, I slowly unfold the paper, seeing in surprisingly neat handwriting: <em> Don’t flatter yourself, kid. I was only staring at you because I’m trying to figure out who the hell you are. No one ever sits next to me, so why are you? </em></p>
<p>I can’t help but roll my eyes at the first part of his response.</p>
<p>Well, at least I know now why he was staring at me.</p>
<p>It’s the same reason everyone else stares at me.</p>
<p>They wonder who I am, what’s my story, why the new kid appeared. Then, once they find out, everyone loses interest in me and just goes back to their friends, telling them about the poor new kid.</p>
<p>I’m so sick of it.</p>
<p>While feeling angry again, I press down on my pencil much harder than necessary, writing in my same messy letters: <em> I’m the new kid. My name’s Arin, but I doubt you actually care. I was forced to get a schedule change due to my classes being too large, so here I am. Mr. Fisch-whatever told me to sit here since it was the only empty seat</em>.</p>
<p>Without much thought, I throw the note onto Dan’s desk, realizing much too late that I should have been more careful.</p>
<p>“Hanson. Avidan." Mr. Fischbach says in a stern, unamused tone, his words causing everyone’s eyes to immediately turn to us. "Care to share with the class what you find much more interesting than learning about <span class="u"> Animal Farm</span>?”  </p>
<p>I shrink into my seat after Mr. Fischbach calls us out, everyone's judging gazes making me feel too embarrassed and mortified to answer him.</p>
<p>Much to my dismay, without even missing a beat, Dan easily answers, “Well, I personally think learning about anything else would be more interesting than <span class="u"> Animal Farm</span>, but, if you must know, I was asking the <em>new kid </em>what he thought of this class so far. I noticed that his page of notes was mostly empty, so I was offering to explain some of the concepts to him later since, well, we all know this isn’t my first time reading this story.”</p>
<p>I can’t help but blush even deeper at the whispers and snickers that Dan’s lie causes to spread through the classroom.</p>
<p>“Wow, how… admirable, Dan,” Mr. Fischbach says in a sarcastic tone, clearly not believing Dan’s retelling of our note passing. “You know the rules though, Dan. That’ll be detention after school today.”</p>
<p>“Fuck,” Dan mutters under his breath, for the first time, rather than sounding cold and uncaring, his tone is filled with worry.</p>
<p>“As for you, Hanson,” Mr. Fischbach continues in a stern tone, his words causing my stomach to fill with a pit of dread, feeling like I am standing before a judge, awaiting to be condemned for life. “Since this is your first day here, I’ll let you off with a warning. See me after class. If I catch you doing this again, you’ll have detention as well.”</p>
<p>"Fuck you and your special treatment," Dan mutters under his breath, sounding absolutely livid.</p>
<p>Dammit!</p>
<p>I was supposed to keep Dan from hating me by passing these notes with him, not do the opposite!</p>
<p>I have to fix this.</p>
<p>After taking a deep breath, I hesitantly call out to the teacher, "Mr. Fischbach?"</p>
<p>He turns to me and looks me directly in the eyes, his face emotionless, but I'm sure he is annoyed at another interruption.</p>
<p>"The note-passing was my fault," I blurt out nervously, hoping I don't regret this. "I noticed Dan kept looking over at me, so I tore out the paper to ask him why. That's when he told me about my lack of notes and offered to help."</p>
<p>"Hmmm... Thank you for your honesty." Mr. Fischbach says after a couple of seconds of looking between the two of us, his words making me feel a little guilty for lying.</p>
<p>Then, with a small smile, he continues, "I want to speak to both of you after class. Dan, today's your lucky day. As long as you don't cause any more interruptions, no detention for you."</p>
<p>I just nod wordlessly in response, thankful that Dan is included in the after-class conversation rather than the alternative of both of us being sent to detention.</p>
<p>"Hell yeah," Dan mutters, a smile heard clearly in his voice, making me glad that I decided to stand up for him.</p>
<p>"Now, can we get through the rest of the class without any more disruptions? That goes for all of you, by the way," Mr. Fischbach says with a smirk, seeming relatively unphased by Dan and I taking up his class time.</p>
<p>Several people in the classroom nod in response, which seems to be good enough for him.</p>
<p>"Now, back to <span class="u"> Animal Farm</span>. Can anyone tell me about the character Old Major?" Mr. Fischbach asks easily as he turns his attention back to the whiteboard, writing the name on the board in big, messy green letters.</p>
<p>As a girl in the classroom begins responding to the question, I find myself losing interest in the lecture. Again.</p>
<p>I can't help but sneak a glance at Dan, feeling shocked when I see him hunched over my crumpled piece of paper, writing me another note.</p>
<p>I quickly look away, not wanting him to catch me looking at him. Not wanting him to think I am interested in what he's doing. </p>
<p>Because I'm definitely not at all curious about this mysterious boy.</p>
<p>Nope, not at all...</p>
<p>Instead of looking at Dan, I just stare at my blank page of notes, anxiously awaiting whatever Dan is going to say to me.</p>
<p>About a minute later, the paper lands on my desk, once again in the center of my notebook.</p>
<p>I dart my head up, hoping Mr. Fischbach didn't see Dan passing me the note.</p>
<p>Thankfully, his attention is focused on another student who is adding to the discussion of Old Major.</p>
<p>With shaky fingers, I uncurl the paper, having no idea what he might have written.</p>
<p>
  <em> Hi Arin. Welcome to this shitty school, I guess. You probably already know this, but I'm Dan. Thanks for what you did back there. I… I've never really had anyone stand up for me like that. For being underclassmen, you're not so bad. We should hang out sometime after school. Also, don't send this note back. I don't want him to change his mind and give us detention after all. </em>
</p>
<p>After finishing his note, I begin to feel giddy, no doubt grinning like an idiot despite biting down on my lip to conceal it.</p>
<p>I hear Dan chuckle softly beside me, seeming amused by my reaction.</p>
<p>Did I just make my first friend?</p>
<p>Oh my God, I think I made a friend! </p>
<p>Even though Dan seems like he might get me in trouble sometimes, the joy of no longer being alone outweighs the risk.</p>
<p>Someone finally likes me enough to be my friend, which is all that matters.</p>
<p>It's official! This schedule change was the best thing ever!</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey everyone!</p>
<p>Hope you all enjoyed chapter 2! So far I've had a lot of fun writing this story, so I hope you like reading it too :)</p>
<p>Thank you for reading! I really appreciate all the support I've already gotten on this story 💙 You all are wonderful!</p>
<p>Alright, that'll be all for me in this chapter! Looking forward to seeing you all soon in chapter 3 :)</p>
<p>- Crimson</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Who Are You?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Arin and Dan talk to each other after class. Arin realizes that there is much more to Dan than meets the eye.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi everyone! :) I'm back!! Hope you enjoy this chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Arin’s pov</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This schedule change was the worst thing ever. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As I watch students quickly file out of class, all eager to get out of here and enjoy the rest of their day, dread begins to fill the pit of my stomach. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I’m so fucking nervous right now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Am I going to get in trouble? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Is Mr. Fischbach going to yell at us for passing notes? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Is he going to call our parents? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>My mom will be so disappointed and pissed to hear that I already got in trouble on my first day of new classes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>While trying to calm down, I begin thinking about what I actually learned today during class. After Dan passed me that final note earlier in class, I was able to ignore him and take some actual notes on the lecture. I'm still horribly lost, but I at least know that </span>
  <span class="u">
    <span>Animal Farm</span>
  </span>
  <span> is actually a parody for some revolution and not just about talking animals on a farm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yeah, that’s about all I got. I doubt that will be good enough for when we have the first quiz on this book, but maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Slowly, I close my magenta spiral-bound notebook, unsure what I should be doing right now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the bell rang a couple of minutes ago, everyone immediately fled to the door like a stampede of wild animals, not even letting Mr. Fischbach finish his sentence about our homework before leaving.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If I didn’t have to stick around after though, I’m sure I would have quickly shuffled out among the group, not wanting to linger any longer than necessary.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead, I’m just sitting here, feeling like a man on death row, waiting for my last moments before life as I know it is over. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Relax, man, he's pretty chill," Dan whispers suddenly, the sound of his voice causing me to jump, an embarrassing yelp escaping as I do so.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As I recover from my surprise, my eyes snap to Dan, forgetting that he was even here with the panicked state I worked myself into. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dully, I realize that those are the first words Dan’s ever said to me.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>How fitting that, instead of a “hello” or “my name’s Dan”, his first spoken words to me would be to tell me to calm down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I don’t worry about things... </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nope, not at all... </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As I continue looking at Dan, I’m surprised to see that, even though we are about to get in trouble, he seems completely unphased by the thought.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite my nerves, I can't help but smile minutely at his relaxed posture. As if this is his own home, Dan leans all the way back in his chair, arms folded across his chest. His long legs stretch out on top of his desk, his black boots dangling off the front side of it, seeming entirely at ease in Mr. Fischbach’s classroom.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He really doesn’t seem worried about Mr. Fischbach getting mad at us. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe I shouldn’t be as worried then... </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ah, who am I kidding, I’m still freaking out right now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In a hesitant whisper, finding it hard to believe Dan’s reassurance, I lean in closer to him and ask, "Are you sure? He seems kinda… strict. Like about you being a little late to class today." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The second I finish talking, I nervously glance over at Mr. Fischbach, worried that he might have heard me.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When I see his back toward us, carefully wiping the marker off the whiteboard with a gray block eraser, I breathe a silent sigh of relief, worried that hearing me talk about him like that would make him angrier at us.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Nah, he's one of the coolest teachers I've ever had,” Dan says with an easy smile, his words surprising me. “He acts all tough, but he's not. He just told us to stay after class to set an example in front of everyone, but we're not actually in trouble.”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, that’s good,” I say after a few seconds of hesitation, wanting to say more, but unsure how he will feel about my next words. “What about the whole detention thing though? You seemed pretty upset at the thought of being sent there. Was he just bluffing there too?”   </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With an annoyed huff, Dan mutters bitterly, “No, he wasn’t playing around with that. He’s the only teacher who has the guts to actually send me to detention. I get sent there by him at least once a week.”   </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His words fill me with dread, wondering how someone could get sent to detention so often.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Should I really even be talking to him right now?  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Am I in danger by being around him? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“W-Why don’t any of your other teachers send you to detention?” I ask nervously, not wanting to hear his answer, but knowing that I will keep wondering if I don’t learn the truth.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>What’s so bad about Dan?  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A large smirk spreads across his face, that dangerous glint in his eyes from when he first entered the classroom returning.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I begin worrying my bottom lip, suddenly feeling like I need to leave right now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Did I fuck up? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Is talking to Dan a mistake that I’ll pay dearly for later? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, Dan scoots closer to me, his chair making a horrible screeching sound as he now crowds my personal space.   </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he leans in close, my muscles tense involuntarily, my mind telling me to run far away from here, but my body paralyzed in fear, feeling entirely trapped and at the mercy of his piercing gaze. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I’m so fucked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, you wanna know why Mr. Fischbach is the only teacher who sends me to detention?” Dan asks in a low whisper, his face so close to mine that I can feel his hot breath on my ear.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Feeling frozen, I minutely nod my head, knowing that, if it is even possible for me to form words right now, my voice would be nothing more than an embarrassing squeak.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Did it just get hotter in here? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Have I always been sweating? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Has Dan always been sitting this close to me? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Holy shit, I’m so fucking nervous right now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re scared of me,” Dan says in a low, dangerous tone as he stays in close proximity, his words causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end, feeling extremely threatened by him right now.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>What is he going to do to me? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though I want to scream at Dan to get away from me, I remain quiet, frozen from fear and unable to speak with how dry my mouth feels. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Starting to panic, I glance at the front of the room for Mr. Fischbach, hoping he will save me. Much to my dismay, his back is still turned to us, seeming entirely engrossed with spraying the whiteboard and using paper towels to clean away residual marker stains. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He is completely oblivious to my all-encompassing terror.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s official, I’m so fucked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though I don’t want to, I glance back at Dan, seeing a smirk on his face as he torments me.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>What a fucking asshole! </span>
</p><p>
  <span>To think that I stood up for him in front of everyone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>To think that I lied to our teacher so he wouldn’t get in trouble. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I should have let him rot in detention instead of going through this hell. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, Dan leans back slightly, still much too close for comfort, but some of my panic fades now that I can no longer feel his breath on my skin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Please, just leave me alone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I don’t want this. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now that we aren’t as close, Dan looks me directly in the eyes and says in a serious, and somewhat sad, whisper, “Everyone is scared of me. Even you, it seems.”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I don’t contradict his words, still unable to find my voice, but, even if I could talk, the undeniable surge of relief I feel at the thought of him leaving me alone tells me that he’s right. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I’m scared of him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I just want him to go away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>While leaning back in his seat, creating about a foot of space between us, Dan chuckles and easily says, “Relax man, I’m not going to hurt you or anything. I’m just being over-dramatic and shit. You don’t have to be so scared.”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I just stare blankly at Dan, unable to understand how he can go from threatening me while literally in my face to then laughing about it as if nothing happened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>This guy is so fucking weird. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I don’t like it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Usually, I’m all for hanging out with the weird social outcasts and rejects, but Dan seems to take rejection to a new level. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If the whole damn school, inducing every teacher but Mr. Fischbach, is scared of him, I don’t think that’s the kind of person I want to be friends with. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I think that’s the kind of person that every living soul should run away from. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Feeling worried for my own safety, I laugh nervously as he continues chuckling, not wanting to piss him off by not laughing it off like that never happened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Honestly though, what the hell just happened?  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a few seconds of laughing nervously, I clear my throat, forcing myself to stop before I look like even more of an idiot than I already do.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the room descends into silence, I subtly scoot my chair a little farther away from Dan, not wanting to be this close to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite trying to not be noticeable in moving away, Dan’s eyes snap to mine. I expect to see a smirk on his face at catching me wanting to get away from him, but just frowns at me, a hint of sadness in his dark brown eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What the hell is that about?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Why does he look so sad if he purposely got in my face to scare me?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, I see you two are getting along well,” Mr. Fischbach suddenly says in a sarcastic tone, his voice cutting through the heavy silence that had descended upon the room causes me to jump, an undignified yelp escaping as I do so.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dan snickers beside me, but I try my best to ignore him, instead turning my gaze to Mr. Fischbach.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Much to my surprise, rather than sitting at his own desk as he lectures us on what we did wrong, he sits backward in the seat of a student desk in front of us.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>This seems... surprisingly casual for someone who is about to rip into us. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, this kid isn’t as annoying as most of your students,” Dan says airily as he looks our teacher directly in the eyes, seeming to not care that he is insulting everyone in the room plus many more.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Haha, </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> funny, Dan,” Mr. Fischbach says without missing a beat, his voice dripping with sarcasm.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, in a more serious tone, Mr. Fischbach continues, “This kid here is the only reason why you aren’t on your way to detention right now. You should be nicer to him.”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dan barks out a cruel laugh before coldly saying, “There are lots of things I should do, but that sure as hell isn’t one of them. Besides, he started it.”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I can help but frown at Dan’s words, feeling upset and confused by Dan’s words.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though the way he got all up in my personal space freaked me out, I thought he might have liked me, especially when we passed notes earlier.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I... even thought that maybe we could become friends earlier in this class.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I was so fucking wrong.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not only is he weird and unpredictable, but I guess he’s an absolute dick to anyone who tries to be nice to him.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>No wonder why the whole damn school doesn’t want anything to do with him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Much like earlier, my anger returns, but this time I’m not too scared to express it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sure, Mr. Fischbach might get upset with me if I show Dan how pissed I am, but he won’t let Dan actually hurt me. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I hope. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Feeling so fucking angry, and a little betrayed too, I turn to Dan and say in a harsh, raised voice, “What the fuck is all that about, Dan?! I stood up for you in front of the whole class so you wouldn’t get sent to detention, and this is how you thank me? By being a massive dick and talking bad about me?!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hanson,” Mr. Fischbach says in a low, warning voice, seeming extremely unamused by my outburst, but I don’t care. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now that I’ve started, there’s no way I can stop, even if I wanted to. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But I really don’t want to stop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I want Dan to regret what he did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I want Dan to learn that he can’t get away with being an asshole to everyone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I’m not going to stop!” I shout as I jump to my feet, pounding my fist down hard on my desk in intense anger. “I know I’m new here, but it doesn’t take a genius to see that something is wrong.”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, while angrily jabbing my finger directly at Dan’s face, I loudly say, “You’re what’s wrong here, Dan.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hanson,” Mr. Fischbach growls as he too stands up, seeming ready to forcefully drag me away from Dan before things turn physical. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I suck in a ragged breath, trying to calm down before I lose myself in my anger, especially with how close my hand is to Dan’s face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though I’m so fucking pissed, the last thing I want to do is hurt someone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a few seconds of breathing loudly, I feel myself starting to calm down, my fury being replaced by nervousness and overwhelming fatigue now that the adrenaline is gone.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m good. It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt anyone,” I whisper as I glance at Mr. Fischbach, seeing worry and concern painted on his features as he warily watches me.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dan clears his throat, slowly pushing my finger away from my face as he says in a low and amused tone, “Well, looks like I was wrong about you, Arin.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Feeling my anger return instantly, I loudly snap at him, “Oh, yeah? You’re gonna try to tell me who I am and who I’m not now? Because I don’t think that will go well.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Much to my dismay, Dan only chuckles in response, leaning back once again in his seat as he eyes me critically, his reaction making me even more pissed off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s exactly what I’m going to do,” Dan casually says without missing a beat, seeming like he has no idea that his words affect other people. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>What an asshole!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I open my mouth to yell at Dan, but stop when he softly says, “You, Arin Hanson, are the first person in a long time to give a damn about me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wait… excuse me? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>What the fuck did he just say? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I... What?!” I ask after a few seconds of silence, my anger fading as if it never even existed, the feeling being replaced by pure confusion as I slump back in my chair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a small, genuine smile that makes his dark brown eyes look less harsh, he whispers, “I was wrong about you. I thought that you were like everyone else, that you would just avoid me out of fear, but you’re the first person in a long time who has both stood up for me and to me. That takes guts.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>What?! </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Okay, I’m so fucking confused!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Is Dan Avidan, the Junior in my class who has been an absolute dick every moment I’ve known him... actually complimenting me? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That can’t be! </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Right? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a few seconds of just staring at Dan in shock, no doubt my mouth hanging open wide like an absolute idiot, he continues with a soft, genuine chuckle, “I didn’t think I’d have to spell it out for you, but I… I’m sorry. You’ve had literally no reason to be nice to me, but I appreciate it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“W-Who are you?” I ask quietly after a few moments of mulling over his words in absolute shock, not understanding how he can go from being an absolute dick one second to spewing heartfelt apologies. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I expect him to get mad at my question, but instead he releases a surprised laugh and mutters, “The fuck if I know!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though I still don’t trust Dan, I can’t help but chuckle at his response, offhandedly muttering back, “Yeah, fair enough. I don’t really know who I am either, if I’m being honest.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The second the words slip out of my mouth, I want to take them back and lock them away forever, hating that I just confessed something so deep with Dan, the boy who’s been nothing but awful to everyone.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a few more moments of laughing, Dan suddenly sobers up, his face being overcome with genuine seriousness, unlike anything I have seen before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a heavy sigh, while looking me directly in the eyes, Dan suddenly says in a firm and serious tone, “I really am sorry, Arin. I’m sure this will sound pathetic, but you’re the first kid at school who’s been kind to me in a long time. Everyone else just stays away because they’re scared of the way I look or say mean things about me when they think I’m out of earshot. I… I guess I don’t really know how to be nice back.”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wow, where the hell did a confession like that come from?! </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Is that really how he feels? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Does he genuinely want to have friends, but the way he looks scares them away?  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Why does he act like such a dick though if he really wants to have friends? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though a large part of me is still wary of Dan, I can’t help but feel bad for him, suddenly realizing that he probably needs a friend as much as me, if not more.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Do I really want to fill that role though? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Do I really want to become friends with someone who seems so unpredictable, one moment acting cruelly, then the next open and honest? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>No, I really don’t. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I glance at Dan, thinking of the best way to let him down gently, hoping that he won’t hate me and try to hurt me if I reject him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before I can even start to think of what to say, I notice the glossiness of his eyes as he stares at me, the openness and vulnerability on his face throwing me for a loop. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Is he... about to cry? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sure enough, a couple of seconds later, I watch in shock as a tear slips from his right eye, rapidly trailing down his cheek as he quietly sniffles. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Knowing that I can’t turn down the guy while he’s quite literally crying, I release a reluctant sigh and place a gentle hand on his shoulder closest to me.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His eyes widen, more silent tears slipping down his cheeks as his gaze drifts to my hand on his shoulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once he looks back at my face again, seeming so lost and confused, I can’t help but give him a small, friendly smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a few seconds, Dan smiles nervously in return, seeming like a completely different person than earlier. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>How can this be the same person who insulted me, Mr. Fischbach, and the whole damn class? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Deciding to be the bigger person here and give Dan a chance, I whisper with my smile still in place, “It’s okay, Dan. I’m sorry too, for yelling at you and getting in your face.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a large sigh, not looking forward to sharing more with him but feeling compelled to open up after he did, I hesitantly continue, “I kinda get what you’re going through too. I’ve been the new kid so many times, and, for the most part, no one ever wants to be my friend. At first, people are curious, and that’s when the whispers start. Some people talk to me, but usually, they just spread rumors and ignore the fact that… well, I’m a person too, just like them.”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though I thought of more to stay, I stop abruptly, my last few words hitting home. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>During all the new schools I’ve been to, so many people have treated me like I don’t matter. Like I’m not a person too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Is that how Dan feels?  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When people stay clear of him and whisper behind his back, does it make him feel like he isn’t a person? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If I were him... I’d probably feel that way too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Damn. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Feeling like I might have unfairly judged Dan, much like everyone else seems to do, I whisper honestly with a sad smile, “It fucking sucks. I don’t know what it’s like to have people scared of me, but I know what it’s like to go literal years without friends. So, if you want to, we could be friends.”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Surprise flickers across his face for a few seconds, seeming shocked by my words. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Honestly, I’m shocked by what I said too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though I didn’t expect to say so much, or propose that we become friends, I can’t help but realize that I meant everything I said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even if the idea of becoming friends with Dan makes me nervous, the desire to finally have a friend outweighs that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, Dan lowers his gaze to the floor, his hair obscuring his face completely as he whispers dejectedly, “Why would you want to be friends with me? Aren’t you scared of me like everyone else? Even though you got mad at me, I saw the fear in your eyes earlier. Why would you want to be around someone like that?”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s right. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Why would I choose to be around someone I’m scared of? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The honest answer is that I don’t know. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It makes no sense, but I can’t help but feel drawn to Dan. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe it’s because I’m lonely. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe it’s because he’s obviously lonely too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe it’s because I’m curious to see more of this genuine version of Dan, not the snarky and cold exterior he shows everyone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe it’s because I’m insane and have no sense of self-preservation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s a real toss-up at this point! </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though I still don’t fully know why, I gently squeeze his shoulder in reassurance before moving my hand back to my lap, afterward whispering sadly, “Yeah, I’m a bit scared of you still. You’re so much taller than me, and you’re older too. I’ve been bullied in the past, and those two things are usually red flags. What I do know, is that I like this side of you. If I get to see more of this honest and open Dan, then I think I would enjoy being your friend.”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really? You’re not fucking with me?” Dan hesitantly asks, the hope in his eyes when he lifts his head to meet my gaze cutting me to the core.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I can’t help but sigh at the vulnerability and desperation in his tone, seeming like, if I lied to him right now, it would break him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And maybe it actually would break him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe he’s such a dick to everyone because he’s scared of rejection, one more being too much for him to take. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Or maybe I should stop trying to get inside Dan’s head and just answer the damn question already. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’m serious, Dan,” I say while starting to grin, unable to keep myself from feeling happy with how things are turning out between us. “Honestly, I could use a friend too. Besides, us social outcasts should stick together, after all.”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay. Let’s be friends then,” Dan says with a large smile of his own, a bubbly laugh escaping that causes me to giggle alongside him.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hooray, you two are friends!” Mr. Fischbach suddenly says, his words startling me as my eyes snap to him, noticing a large smirk on his face. “Now, hurry up and get out of my classroom! I want to go home.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wow, I totally forgot that he was here. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That he was supposed to keep us after class because we got in trouble. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Why hasn’t he yelled at us yet? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Is he really just going to let us leave without reprimanding us at all for passing notes? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, alright, we’ll get out of your hair,” Dan easily says with a smirk of his own, making it seem like I was the only one startled by Mr. Fischbach’s sudden words.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, as his face softens, Dan fully turns to Mr. Fischbach and whispers, “Thanks, Mark. For keeping me after class instead of sending me to detention. I know I deserve to go there for how I treat you… I’m sorry for what I called you earlier. You’re the only one who reminds me I’m still just a kid, even if I act tough. Although I hate it when you do that, especially in front of the whole class, I appreciate it.”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mr. Fischbach’s face breaks into a large grin, seeming ecstatic to hear Dan’s words.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I can’t help but smile too, deciding that I like this version of Dan so much more than the cocky boy who first walked into class today.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re welcome, Dan,” Mr. Fischbach says with his smile still in place, fondness in his eyes as he continues, “Sometimes you drive me absolutely crazy, but I think you’re a good kid. I push you because I really do care about you. I want to see you graduate, so you better not end up in my class for the third time.”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dan laughs loudly, the sound of it, paired with his dazzling smile, seems to light up the entire room, causing me to smile even wider.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wow, I could definitely get used to hearing that laugh.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, that really means a lot to me,” Dan whispers, his voice sounding strained, almost like he is holding back tears. “I’m really going to try this year. I doubt I’ll get an A, but I want to pass this time.”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, while turning to face me, Dan says with a smirk, “After all, I would hate to graduate in the same year as this Sophomore over here.”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey! You know it would be an honor to walk on that stage with me by your side,” I say with mock offense as I shove his shoulder lightly, a smirk of my own appearing, surprised at how much I’m enjoying our banter right now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I thought that it would be much harder to talk to Dan, especially with the weirdness he showed earlier, but our conversation actually feels… natural.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And kinda fun now that I think more about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe being friends with Dan won’t be so bad after all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure, keep telling yourself that, Arin,” Dan says as he playfully shoves my arm away from him, his smirk deepening.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I can’t help but giggle softly at his response, feeling happier than I have in... a long time.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sure, I still have underlying doubts and worries about Dan, especially regarding his sudden shifts in mood and personality, but I can’t deny that I’m really enjoying talking to him right now.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, Mr. Fischbach clears his throat loudly, the sound of it causing our giggling to end immediately. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a smirk, Mr. Fischbach stands from the desk he was sitting at, instead moving across the room to his own desk, calling out behind him, “I’m glad you two are getting along well. Unless you want to spend the night locked in my classroom though, it’s time to go home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dan and I immediately share panicked and worried looks, seeming to both hate the idea of staying here any longer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a few seconds of looking at each other, we burst into laughter, chuckling as we quickly put our notebooks and pencils inside our backpacks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yeah, I would really hate to be stuck in this shitty classroom all night.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a cheeky grin as he stands, Dan says in a confident and teasing tone, “Thanks, but I’d prefer not to spend the night in your smelly classroom.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carefully, I pick up my heavy backpack, a small groan escaping as I lug it onto my shoulders.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dan smirks at me as he grabs his tattered black backpack, effortlessly slinging it over his left shoulder as if to say: ha, look how light my stuff is.   </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a soft chuckle, Mr. Fischbach mutters, “You and me both. So, let's get out of here.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You aren't going to grab anything off your desk?" Dan asks with a smirk as Mr. Fischbach starts walking to the door, empty-handed aside from his keys.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mr. Fischbach turns around, shooting Dan a smirk of his own as he adamantly says, "Hell no! You think I actually take home papers to grade?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Dan giggles, I just stare at our teacher in shock, surprised by how many jokes he makes with Dan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With how Dan acted at the beginning of class, calling him rude names in front of everyone, I expected Mr. Fischbach to hate him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It seems like they genuinely enjoy each other's company though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Which is super weird.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But... also a little sweet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If Mr. Fischbach likes Dan, maybe he isn't so bad after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe I really will like being friends with Dan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Dan also starts walking toward the door, leaving me no choice but to follow, he says with his smirk still in place, "Well, yeah, I assumed that, as a teacher, you graded things. If I'm wrong about that, I can't help but wonder why I'm in your class again."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mr. Fischbach chuckles softly as he opens the door, turning to look right at Dan and say with a blinding smile, "You're here again because I just couldn't let you go. I thought to myself, 'wow, I would love to keep the most disruptive student in my class for another year. It'll be fun.'"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As we all walk out the door, I can't help but giggle at our teacher's response, realizing that he's actually pretty funny and witty, which seems to be rare for teachers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Haha, </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> funny," Dan says sarcastically, but a small, genuine smile graces his dusty pink lips, seeming to enjoy this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm glad you still find me humorous," Mr. Fischbach says with a chuckle at Dan's response.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Hilarious</span>
  </em>
  <span>," Dan deadpans without missing a beat, the lack of humor in his voice causing me to laugh loudly, infinitely surprised by their banter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mr. Fischbach laughs at Dan's response as well, the sound of his and my laughter echoing off the empty hallways.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Soon, Dan joins in laughing too as we walk toward the front doors of the school, the melodic sounds of our joy filling the barren hallways, making it seem much less dreary.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a few moments, we reach the front doors of the school, but Dan stops before exiting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I raise an eyebrow at him in question, but he pays me no mind, instead hesitantly asking, "Hey, um, Mark? Can I still call you that?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Immediately, Mr. Fischbach turns around, a look of surprise on his face accompanied by a small smile as he softly says, "Yeah, Dan, you can still call me that. Just, try not to do it in front of the whole class."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thanks," Dan says with a small, genuine smile, truly seeming happy at the idea of calling Mr. Fischbach by his first name.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, Dan nervously continues, "I… I just want to say thanks again for, well, everything, I guess. All my other teachers just ignore me whenever I act up in class, and I… just appreciate you not doing the same."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The second Dan finishes, he quickly walks two steps closer to Mr. Fischbach, afterward wrapping his arms around our teacher in a tight hug.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Other than releasing a soft </span>
  <em>
    <span>oof </span>
  </em>
  <span>in reply, Mr. Fischbach wordlessly hugs Dan back, a large, genuine smile on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After releasing a shaky sigh, Dan whispers into Mr. Fishbach's chest, "I… I feel like you're the only person who sees me. Everyone else just sees what I look like and judges me, but you treat me like I actually matter."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You </span>
  <em>
    <span>do</span>
  </em>
  <span> matter, Dan," Mr. Fischbach says adamantly the moment Dan finishes speaking. "Don't ever let anyone tell you that you don't. You might be different than a lot of people, but that doesn't make you have any less worth."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dan releases a shaky exhale, the sound of it making him seem like he is so close to tears.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they have their moment, I just stand awkwardly off to the side, unsure if I should leave before things get more awkward.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Right as I work up the courage to quietly slip away, Mr. Fischbach raises his gaze from Dan's figure in his arms, his eyes locking onto mine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I open my mouth to apologize for intruding, but nothing comes out, feeling trapped under the weight of the love and protectiveness in his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He really does care about Dan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a sad smile, Mr. Fischbach mouths to me: </span>
  <em>
    <span>Take care of him</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Without hesitation, I nod my head, all remaining doubts I had of Dan left once the two started hugging.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unlike I originally thought, Dan isn't cold and uncaring of everyone but himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Right now, it's obvious that he cares about Mr. Fischbach, which is enough for me to hope that one day he might care about me too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thank you, Mark," Dan whispers as he pulls back from their hug, his voice choked with emotion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Anytime, Kiddo," Mr. Fischbach says without hesitation, a soft smile on his face as he releases Dan. "I mean it too. I know how things are at home for you, so, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'll make time for you, okay?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wordlessly, Dan nods his head, once again wrapping Mr. Fischbach in a hug.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a sad chuckle, Mr. Fischbach hugs him back and whispers, "You're a good kid, Dan. Even though you aren't the most studious, I really believe that. Don't let anyone try to tell you otherwise."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though I still feel a little awkward, I can't help but smile at the two, finding it sweet how much they care about each other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It seems like most teachers here don’t give a shit about their students, but Mr. Fischbach is different.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Much sooner this time, Dan pulls back from the hug, a shaky smile on his face as he says with forced lightheartedness, “Okay, let’s get the hell out of here before someone locks us inside.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mr. Fischbach chuckles as we all resume walking to the door, but I lag behind quite a bit, still feeling awkward, like I was privy to a special moment between them that I never should have seen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You coming, Ar?” Dan asks suddenly as he turns around to look at me, a small smirk on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As I blush at the nickname, discovering that I like the way he says my name, I mutter playfully, “Yeah, yeah, I’m right here. Sorry if not all of us are as tall as you, Dan.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dan releases a surprised laugh then, unexpectedly considerate, he slows down, allowing me to stay in line with his long strides much easier.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I blush even deeper, appreciating the kind gesture, even if it makes me feel a little self-conscious about my height.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>One day I’ll grow though… I hope.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, well, I’ll see you boys tomorrow,” Mr. Fischbach says after we travel as a unit for a few more feet, looking toward the staff parking lot where his car must be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Looking forward to it,” Dan whispers sincerely, a soft, shy smile on his face, so different from the usual smirk he wears.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“See you tomorrow,” I say with a small smile on my own, nervously tacking on, “Thanks for um… not actually getting us in trouble and stuff.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a hearty chuckle, Mr. Fischbach says teasingly, “Of course, Hanson. I couldn’t make your first day in my class too awful, after all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>My smile widens at his words, appreciating how fucking cool this teacher is.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So many teachers would have yelled at us for passing notes, sent us to detention, or called our parents, so it’s really nice to find someone who isn’t like that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I appreciate that,” I say with my smile still in place, thinking that maybe I’ll actually like going to school from now on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I have a cool teacher and a new friend, so that’s already a much better experience than my last several schools.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mr. Fischbach smiles kindly at me before turning to Dan and walking closer to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he whispers something in Dan’s ear much too quiet for me to hear, I slowly walk toward the student drop off where my mom will no doubt be waiting frantically for my arrival.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fuck, my mom has been waiting for me this whole time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She must be worried sick.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I start walking faster, wanting to reach her before she does something drastic, like calling the police or some crazy shit like that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Arin, wait for me!” Dan calls out behind me as I hear hurried footsteps approaching me, the sound of his voice startling me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I got so wrapped up in thoughts of my mom that I completely forgot I was leaving Dan behind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though I really want to reassure my mom that I’m fine, I stop and wait for Dan, not wanting to ditch him on our first day of becoming friends.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, man,” Dan says slightly out of breath about a minute later once he reaches me, his hair seeming even messier after running to catch up to me. “So, where’s your car at?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, um, I don’t drive yet. My mom is probably waiting to pick me up at the student drop-off area,” I mutter after a few seconds of hesitation, feeling embarrassed that I’m not driving yet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I mean sure, I’m only 16, but I bet most people in our class have their own fancy cars. Including Dan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s nice of her,” Dan quietly says, his voice lacking any of the mocking tone I expected to hear, instead just sounding a little… sad.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Why would he sound sad about my mom picking me up from school?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, I remember how Mr. Fischbach told Dan that he would be there to help because of Dan’s home situation. I wonder what that’s about…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I am tempted to ask him what Mr. Fischbach meant by that, but I decide against it, thinking that I might be overstepping the boundaries of our new friendship.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead of what I really want to ask, I say with a small, teasing smile, “Thanks. How about you? Are you driving a fancy-schmancy car?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While giggling softly, Dan says nonchalantly, “Nope, no car for me yet either. I usually just walk to and from school. Every once and a while though, like if it’s raining or something, Mark will give me a ride home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I can’t help but glance at him in surprise as we continue walking, expecting him to drive a sleek, fancy black car or something like that, especially since he’s a Junior already.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, you’ll be walking all the way home right now?” I ask after a few seconds of hesitation, not liking the idea of Dan walking home all by himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I mean sure, with how tall and intimidating he looks, I doubt anyone would try to mess with him, but walking home alone each day can’t be fun.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but it’s fine,” Dan casually says with a shrug of his shoulders, seeming unbothered by the idea of walking home from school.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I wonder how long he’s been doing this for…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And how far away he has to walk each day…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I just hum in acknowledgment of his words, anything I was about to say instantly leaving my mind as I see a familiar figure storming toward us.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s my mom,” I whisper with dread as we stop walking, my eyes locked on the steadily approaching outline of my mom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She seems nice,” Dan quips casually as she continues rushing toward us, nearly at the point of running now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Arin Joseph Hanson!” My mom shouts angrily when there is only about fifteen feet between us, the sound of her anger causing me to flinch, not looking forward to this upcoming lecture.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Joseph?” Dan asks lightly as he snickers, the sound of his amusement doing nothing to help alleviate my fear. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dan, now is </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>the time,” I mutter through gritted teeth, doing everything in my power to not lash out at him, knowing that he doesn’t deserve to be yelled at just because I’m angry and scared.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry,” Dan whispers sheepishly as he ducks his head down low in embarrassment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay,” I say with a heavy sigh, desperately willing myself to calm down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, with a wry smile, I mutter, “And we’re about to both be sorry. No one likes my mom when she’s pissed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And now that she’s closer to us, only about eight feet in between us, I can tell by her posture that she’s absolutely livid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This is about to be one shitty conversation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck,” Dan mutters nervously under his breath, a humorless chuckle escaping me, feeling like he took the word right out of my mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Let the hell begin.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Well, there we have it! Chapter 3 is finally done! :)</p><p>Remember when I said I would do short chapters for this story? *Sees over 7k words* nope, me neither! :P This chapter took a while to finish because 1. It was way longer than expected and 2. I was working on my first ever Game Grumps oneshot, which was actually the first work I started of this fandom! It's called "Friends?" and I'm super proud of how it turned out, so I'd appreciate it if you checked it out! :)</p><p>Thank you everyone for reading, commenting, and leaving kudos so far! I really appreciate you all! &lt;3 &lt;3 &lt;3</p><p>Looking forward to seeing you all in chapter 4 soon! :)</p><p>- Crimson</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Uh Oh, Angry Mom Voice</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Arin's mom meets Dan for the first time. Things don't go well at all, and then things go... very well?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi again, everyone! :) I just want to say that I'm sure Maurette is a very wonderful mother but, for the sake of plot, she is very overprotective and a little mean at first. Anyway, hope you enjoy!! :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Arin’s pov</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Arin, where have you been?!" My mom asks in a shrill, raised voice as she stops a few feet in front of Dan and I.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I open my mouth to tell her about Mr. Fischbach keeping us after class, but only a low whine comes out, my hands starting to shake from nervousness.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I hate it when she uses her </span>
  <em>
    <span>angry mom voice </span>
  </em>
  <span>on me.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Hi, Mrs. Hanson," Dan says sweetly after a few more seconds of me remaining frozen in place. "My name is Dan, and I've been assigned by our English teacher, Mr. Fischbach, to show Arin around the school."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For several seconds she glares at Dan, sizing him up as he continues to politely smile at her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Damn.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That was really smooth.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I’m standing here like an idiot, unable to say a damn word, and Dan’s over here creating realistic lies on the fly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The teacher assigned </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>to show Arin around the school?” My mom asks in a surprised tone, her emphasis on the word ‘you’ making me feel frustrated.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She’s judging him by the way he looks, just like everyone else.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yep, he did,” Dan says easily, his smile still in place, seeming unbothered by the judgment in her tone. “Arin told us that it was his first day in the class, and our teacher didn't want him to feel lost here, so I volunteered to be his guide for this week. I had just finished showing him the cafeteria, then we came here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For several moments, she just stares at him, seeming to have trouble believing him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Uh oh, I hope her mom senses that tell her when I'm lying don't work on Dan too!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Is this true, Arin?" My mom finally asks with a heavy sigh, some of the harshness leaving her tone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I clear my throat, hoping to dispel some of my nervousness by doing so, before whispering with as much confidence as I can muster, "Yeah, mom, Dan's my tour guide. Even though I told our teacher that I was just new to his class, he insisted that someone show me around. Dan was nice enough to do so. I’m sorry for not texting you first so you wouldn’t worry." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>My mom releases another sigh as she looks between the two of us, seeming to have trouble believing us.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Thanks for showing my son around the school," my mom says to Dan through gritted teeth, seeming to hate that she's thanking him right now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I can't help but feel even angrier, wondering why everyone judges Dan so harshly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even my own mother...</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And doesn’t that suck?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>My mom, who always told me </span>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t judge a book by its cover</span>
  </em>
  <span>, suddenly hates Dan, my only friend, just because of the way he looks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly, a sharpness enters my mom's light brown eyes as she firmly says, "I appreciate your help since Arin is new here. After this week though, I don't want you near my son."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What?! Why?!" I shout angrily, unable to believe how unfairly judgemental my mom is acting right now. "That's not fair, especially since he’s just trying to be nice to me!" </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"We'll talk about this later, Arin," my mom says shortly as she gives me her </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m angry, so don’t even try to argue with me </span>
  </em>
  <span>look. "Get in the car, I'll be there in a few minutes."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Refusing to leave Dan like this, I step in front of him, wanting to shield him from my mom before things turn ugly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Arin," My mom says in a low, warning tone, the sound of it causing me to sigh heavily, hating that this is happening.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hating that she can take away my only friend because she never stops worrying about me.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Slowly, I turn around and look up at Dan, seeing the tears starting to bloom in his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fuck it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Uncaring if my mom is right here, I wrap my arms around Dan tightly in a hug, wanting him to know that it will be okay.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’ll be okay.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hopefully.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a sad chuckle, he hugs me back, holding me much tighter than I expected him to, seeming to need to draw strength from me to get through this.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Get your hands off my son, or else I'll call the police," my mom demands harshly as we continue hugging, no doubt glaring fiercely at Dan.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Are you fucking kidding me?!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Why the hell would the police need to get involved?!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I’m the one who gave him a hug, it’s not like he’s trying to fucking kill me or some stupid shit like that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a resigned sigh, Dan releases his hold on me, but I don't let him go.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I don't want things to end yet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not because my mom is being so unnecessarily over-protective of me.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I'm so fucking sorry," I whisper a few seconds later as I release him even though I so don’t want to, hating that this is happening.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This is so unfair!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Why does my mom’s worrying have to ruin everything?!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It's okay," Dan whispers sadly, sounding on the brink of tears. "It's nothing I don't deserve anyway."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fuck.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fucking hell.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He thinks he deserves to be treated like this.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Poor Dan.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>How could she do this to him?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While feeling angry, I turn around to look at my mom, seeing that she has her phone in hand, seeming ready to dial someone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Probably the fucking police.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She’s actually about to call the cops on him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Which is so fucking stupid!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Mom, please, don't do this," I plead as I approach her, grabbing her hand without the phone and holding it in both of mine. "Let's just go home. There's no need to call anyone. Look at me, I'm totally fine. No harm done."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Fine, we'll go home," my mom says with a reluctant, heavy sigh, seeming like she wants to stay here and discuss with Dan longer. "Go wait in the car, I'll be there in a few minutes."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"No!" I say adamantly without hesitation, not wanting to leave my mom alone with Dan. “I’ll only go to the car if you come too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Without a doubt, I know that she would never do something to actually hurt him. I wouldn’t put it past her though to tell Dan </span>
  <em>
    <span>all </span>
  </em>
  <span>the reasons why he should stay away from me. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Arin," my mom demands in that same warning tone, but I can't bring myself to listen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>If she isn’t going to listen to me when I tell her that I want to be Dan’s friend, why should I listen to her when she says that I shouldn’t?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Just because she is older doesn’t mean she knows everything about life.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Parents can be wrong too and right now, she is dead fucking wrong.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I’m sure of it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Most of all though, I just can't bring myself to leave Dan.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He might look cold and uncaring from the outside, but seeing him and Mr. Fischbach together showed me that he is vulnerable.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That he is struggling.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And I’m going to help him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Whether my mom likes it or not.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Instead of going to the car like she wants me to, I release her hand and walk back over to Dan.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once I'm standing next to him, I place my hand on his arm and say in a loud, confident tone, "Mom, this is Dan, and he's my friend now. He might look scary or dangerous, but he's very sweet, funny, and the first person to want to be my friend in a long time. So, I’m going to be his friend."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dan smiles brightly at me, seeming so happy that I'm standing up for him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Spurred on by his dazzling smile, I smile back and, while grabbing his hand, I confidently continue to my mom, “You always taught me to not judge people by the way they look. The whole school judges Dan like that, and they’re mean to him. They </span>
  <em>
    <span>hurt </span>
  </em>
  <span>him and he doesn't deserve it. He doesn't deserve you being mean to him like this either."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once I finish, I simply stare at my mom, refusing to back down or take back my words, believing them whole-heartedly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly, her face softens and her pale cheeks turn a slight shade of pink as she mutters, “You’re right, I’m sorry.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I can’t help but smile widely at the sound of her apology, but my smile immediately vanishes as she continues, “I’m sorry if I seem strict or judgemental, but I went to high school too, Arin.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then, while turning to face Dan, in a kind, yet firm tone, she explains, “You might be a nice boy but, in my school, kids who look like you ditched class to do drugs behind the bleachers. I don’t know if you would do that but, as a mom, I can’t take that risk. I hope you can understand.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a heavy, resigned sigh, Dan quietly says, “I would never do those things, but I get it. It’s nice that you care about your son so much.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Surprisingly, my mom gives Dan a small smile, seeming to appreciate his praise even if she doesn’t like him very much.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Will you go wait for me in the car, Arin?” My mom asks calmly and, unlike before, I don’t resist.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I still fucking hate this, but I know my mom is just trying to keep me safe.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I give Dan’s hand a gentle squeeze before releasing it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He gives me a small shaky smile, tears once again in his eyes, the sight of it makes me not want to leave him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But, I know I should. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>My mom is just trying to keep me safe, and I should honor that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even if this fucking sucks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I try to say goodbye to Dan, but I can’t force the words past my throat, a lump forming as tears rush to my eyes as well.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I smile back at Dan, but I know my smile must be as weak as his was, both of us not wanting to leave like this.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a heavy sigh, I tear my gaze away from Dan and begin walking away, leaving him alone with my mom.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This fucking sucks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Why can’t I just have a friend?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Why does her shitty high school experience have to ruin my own?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This isn’t fair!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As I walk toward my mom's gray Toyota, I start to feel so fucking pissed, hating that she's doing this right now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hating that she has so much control over my life.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Normally, I don't mind her rules, knowing that she has them to protect me. This is so fucking stupid though.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While shaking from anger, I throw open the passenger-side door and slam it behind me.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even though I don't want to see this, I look at where Dan and my mom are talking a little ways away, wishing that I could hear what they are saying.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That I could stop her from telling him to stay away from me.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even though she was kind and level to him while I was around, I can’t help but worry that she might get harsher and more demanding while I’m gone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hopefully, it’ll be fine though. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a few minutes of watching them, I see Dan move his left hand to swipe at his eyes, seeming to wipe away his tears.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he wipes his other eye, I know for sure he's crying now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She made him cry.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dan is crying right now, because of my own mom.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Feeling angrier and more upset than I ever have, I scream at the top of my lungs, shouting "FUCK" for the whole damn world to hear.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I continue screaming until my voice breaks, leaving me panting and shaking as I hold my head in my hands, wishing I could do more than just wallow in my self-pity.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wishing I could actually help Dan.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Thankfully, after only about three minutes, my mom starts walking toward the car.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As she leaves, I carefully watch Dan, trying to gauge how bad their conversation was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Fucking hell," I mutter as I watch Dan sink to his knees on the sidewalk, burying his face in his hands as he cries harder.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Unable to just sit here and watch Dan break before my eyes, I quickly undo my seatbelt and throw open the car door, afterward racing toward Dan.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As I run toward him, I ignore my mom's surprised shouts and calls of my name, only caring about Dan right now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dan, who is so obviously hurting right now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The second I reach him, I drop to my knees beside him, throwing my arms around him as he sobs loudly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When my arms wrap around his chest and back, his head snaps up, a confused and watery, "Ar?" leaving his lips.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I'm here," I whisper immediately as I pull him to my chest, uncaring if my mom sees me hugging him. "I don't know what she said, but she was wrong. All those people who say mean shit to you are fucking idiots."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Without a word, he buries his face in my chest, continuing to sob as he holds me tightly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Trying to comfort him as best as I can, I begin rubbing small circles into his back and occasionally whispering, "It's okay," or "I've got you, Dan."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a few minutes, his sobs start to slow down, instead being replaced by frequent sniffles.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dan releases a shuddering sigh before sadly whispering, "You shouldn't be here right now, Ar. I'm fucking worthless."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I suck in a sharp breath, unable to believe what I'm hearing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>How could Dan say something so horrible about himself?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What if... he's just repeating something he's heard before?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oh, fuck that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Please, tell me I'm wrong.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Please, tell me my mom didn't say something like that to him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Did she say that to you?" I ask in a hesitant whisper, desperately hoping that she didn’t.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hoping that my mom isn’t super mean and I didn’t know about it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Thankfully, he shakes his head, the sight of it causing me to release a sigh of relief.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She just told me to stay away from you, but she wasn’t mean about it or anything,” Dan says in a quiet, miserable whisper and, even though I’m still angry, I can’t help but feel glad to hear that that’s all my mom said. “That’s all, but I started thinking about some of the things I’ve been told at school. I realized that I should just get used to being alone because no one gives a damn about me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s not true,” I passionately say the second Dan finishes, hating that everyone is so mean to him. “You deserve to have friends just as much as anyone else. And, even though we haven't known each other long, I care about you, Dan.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He doesn’t respond, just continues sniffling sadly and holding me tightly, the sight of him like this making my heartache. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I have to fix this.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I just don’t know how yet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly getting an idea, I whisper with a smirk, "How far away is your house?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"About 3 minutes, why?" Dan asks in a confused and hesitant tone, seeming to not understand where I'm going with this.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Is there room for one more there?" I ask with a smirk, not wanting to go home right now and leave Dan while he’s this upset.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While snapping his head up to meet my gaze, understanding dawns on his face, causing a small smirk to appear.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I think we can make accommodations," Dan says in a cheeky tone with his smirk growing larger. "So, what's the plan?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"We hide in the school, sneak out the back door, then run to your house, all before my mom even realizes what’s happening," I say with a smile as I lean back, releasing him slightly to make it easier for us to run.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While loosening his grip as well, he teasingly says with his smirk still in place, "Wow, look at you. I didn't think you had it in you to run away from your scary mom. Looks like we'll be better friends than I thought."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While shoving his shoulder playfully, I smile slightly and say, "Just shut up and get ready to run."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a watery chuckle, Dan falls silent, the only sound being an occasional lingering sniffle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I tap his arm and look him directly in the eyes, shooting him a goofy grin as I do so, unable to contain my excitement.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The second he nods his head, pointedly glancing toward an entrance to the school to the left of us, we both jump to our feet, sprinting toward those doors.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“ARIN, STOP!” My mom shouts in a worried tone as we sprint away, but I just start to giggle, feeling adrenaline pump through my veins as I follow behind Dan.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While breathing heavily, I burst through the school’s side doors.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For a few seconds, I frantically look around the hallway, not seeing Dan anywhere.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Damn his stupid long legs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Arin, over here,” Dan whispers as I barely notice him peek his head around the door of a nearby classroom.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Without hesitation, I jog over to the classroom, hoping that my mom isn’t following behind us. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As I pass by four other classroom doors, I can’t help but wonder why he didn’t choose any of those. If I was leading the way, I would have thrown open the first door and immediately plopped down on the floor in the classroom to rest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I’m so fucking tired already.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As I enter the classroom, I can’t help but roll my eyes fondly as I recognize several of the video game posters lining the walls of this.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Of course he would want to hide in Mr. Fischbach’s room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once I’m inside, I find the nearest desk and plop down on it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not caring how hard and uncomfortable the wood surface will be, I rest my head down on the desk, my panting breaths making the air around me feel much too warm, but I'm too tired to do anything else.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a breathless chuckle, Dan drags a chair in front of the desk I’m at, sitting facing me on the other side.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Similarly, Dan rests his head on the desk, his mountain of hair brushing against the top of my head as he also tries to catch his breath.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Get… your own… desk,” I mutter with a smirk in between heavy breaths, unable to keep myself from commenting on his mass of hair brushing against my head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Noooooo,” Dan whines over exaggeratedly, his response causing me to chuckle breathlessly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a few moments of breathing heavily, I finally raise my head, feeling a little less out of breath now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a smirk, I look down at Dan, unable to see his face, his arms and hair covering everything.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He has so much hair.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A couple of seconds later, Dan raises his head as well, shooting me a large, genuine smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, that was kinda awesome,” Dan says with a breathy laugh, his deep brown eyes sparkling with joy and mischief.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hell yeah,” I say with a large smile of my own, unable to help but feel giddy from the residual adrenaline coursing through me. “I’ve never done anything like that before.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Same,” Dan says with his large smile still in place, the sight of it makes me smile even wider.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Right now, sitting here with Dan, I don’t care if I’m going to be in so much trouble when I get home.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seeing Dan smile like this is so fucking worth it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dan suddenly clears his throat, his smile taking on a slightly sad edge as he looks into my eyes and softly says, “Thank you, Arin. I… I didn’t expect you to stand up for me like that, especially with how upset your mom was. I just… well... it really means a lot to me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While smiling sadly in return, I gently, but adamantly say, “Of course, Dan. I know we haven’t been friends long at all, but I couldn’t just let her judge you like that. No one deserves that, but especially not you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dan reaches across the desk and gently places a hand on my arm in thanks, the gesture causing me to smile widely once again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With my smile still in place, I move my other hand, laying in on top of the back of his hand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dan looks down at my hand on top of his own in surprise, a soft smile gracing his lips.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a slow and careful tenderness, Dan moves his hand so that his palm is facing upward, interlocking his fingers with my own.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As I wrap my fingers around his hand in return, Dan whispers with a large smile, “I’m glad I met you today.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Me too,” I whisper sincerely without hesitation, believing it full-heartedly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then, with a smirk, I squeeze his hand minutely and playfully say, “Although, I gotta say, you scared the shit out of me earlier.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a surprised laugh, Dan sheepishly replies, “Yeah, I’m sorry about that whole thing. I kinda panicked because you seemed different, so I thought it would be best if you were afraid of me like everyone else.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then, with sadness in his eyes, Dan hesitantly asks, “Are you still scared of me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” I say immediately, a large smile on my face as I realize the truth behind my words.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I’m not scared of Dan.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I genuinely want to be his friend because, even if he looks intimidating, I’ve seen that he’s not afraid to show his emotions in front of people he trusts.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even if my mom doesn’t like it, I trust Dan.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That makes me so fucking happy,” Dan says with a relieved, bubbly laugh, the largest smile I’ve ever seen on his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a large smile of my own, I realize that I’m doing the right thing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I’m going to be in a shit-load of trouble later, but that doesn’t matter.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Right now, and maybe for the first time ever, I’m doing something because </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>want to. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not because my teachers told me to.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not because my parents told me to.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not because anyone told me to.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I’m doing this because </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>want to.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Because seeing Dan like this makes me happy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Because being friends with Dan makes me happy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So, fuck everyone else.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I finally made a friend, and no one is taking that away from me.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey everyone! :)</p>
<p>Wooooo, chapter 4 is done! I've written and re-written this chapter so many times now, but I'm very happy with how it turned out! I hope you all enjoyed it too! :)</p>
<p>Also, I just posted the first chapter of a new Game Grumps story! It's called "The Curse of Powers" and it's a really cool fantasy AU with Shapeshifters, telepaths, hunters, and other fun things! I've loved writing it so far, so it would mean a lot to me if you checked it out! :)</p>
<p>Thank you so very very much to everyone reading, commenting, and leaving kudos. I love each and every one of you! And, even if it takes me a little while to reply to comments, I enjoy them all immensely :D</p>
<p>I'm looking forward to seeing you all somewhat soon in Chapter 5!!</p>
<p>- Crimson</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Dan's House Is... Pink?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Arin visits Dan's house for the first time. They hang out and play video games.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Author's Note (4/5/2021): To returning readers, the ending of this chapter has changed! Originally, I was planning on adding a few more chapters after this, but I really liked the way this chapter turned out and thought it would be a good ending. So, I have added around a thousand words to this chapter to make it a more finalized conclusion, and here we have it! Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoy!! :D &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Arin’s pov</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, as much as I enjoy sitting in Mark’s empty classroom with you, are we going to my place sometime soon?” Dan asks with a cheeky grin after a few moments of sitting in the silence of this classroom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a nervous chuckle, I hesitantly say, “Yeah, we can go back to your place now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seeming to pick up on my sudden nervousness, a small frown appears on Dan’s face, his eyebrows down-turning slightly as he quietly says, “If you changed your mind about coming with me, I totally understand.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instantly feeling bad, I meet his gaze and adamantly say, “No, it’s not that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, with a heavy sigh, feeling extremely lame and embarrassed now, I reluctantly mutter, “I just… well, I’m sure it’ll sound stupid, but I’ve never been to someone else’s house before.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pure surprise flashes across Dan’s face as he physically recoils, leaning back slightly while asking incredulously, “Never?! Not even as a little kid?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Feeling absolutely miserable, I stare at the tan wood of the desk I’m at and whisper dejectedly, “No, my family moves around so much that I’m never in one place for very long. I rarely made friends and, even for the ones I did make, my parents didn’t know the other kid’s parents well enough for me to spend time there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I expect to see sadness, pity, or disgust on his face at my lack of social life for, well, my whole life, but I don’t see anything like that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With pure determination, Dan abruptly stands and holds out a hand for me while saying with a large smile, “Well, we need to fix this ASAP! There’s no time like the present, so let’s get out of this shitty classroom and go!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I can’t help but laugh at his child-like excitement as I take his hand to stand up, enjoying how he seems genuinely excited by the idea that his house is the first one I’ll ever go to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, let’s go then!” I say with an excited, bubbly laugh of my own, unable to stop the joy that spreads through me at the thought of experiencing something that seems so normal, but I’ve always been denied of.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dan gives me a dazzling smile as we start walking toward the door together, the sight of it causing me to grin back like an idiot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>How is it possible for everyone to hate a guy who smiles like that?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His joy is so contagious and intoxicating that the sight of it makes me feel giddy, yet entirely at ease.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a few moments of walking in silence, feeling my nerves start to return, I hesitantly ask Dan, “So, like, what are we going to do at your house?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A thoughtful expression flitters over Dan’s face, genuinely seeming to contemplate our options before saying, “Well, we could do a lot of things. My parents have a bunch of old, shitty movies that we could watch and make fun of. I’ve got an Xbox, but I’m pretty shit at playing games. You’d probably win all of them. And… um, I guess we could just talk about life and shit too. I might think of more things when we get there, but that’s what I’ve got for now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unable to help myself, I feel a smirk coming on as I tease him, “Can we do anything that doesn’t involve shit?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a few seconds, he looks confused, raising an eyebrow at me as I start to laugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, his eyes go wide in realization, then he laughs too, the sweet, melodic sounds of our laughter bouncing through the desolate hallways.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess I say that a lot, huh?” Dan asks in between giggles, seeming to realize his choice in vocabulary only now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but what teenager doesn’t?” I say while chuckling, knowing that curse words are virtually every teenager’s first language.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can’t argue with that,” Dan mutters as he keeps giggling softly, the sound of his joy causes me to smile widely, knowing that’s a sound I could certainly get used to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though I feel a little guilty about running away from my mom like that, walking and laughing with Dan right now makes everything seem worth it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a few more moments of laughing together, we fall into companionable silence as we exit the backdoor of the school, being met by old, rusty silver bleachers and a dried-up football field.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Our school fucking sucks,” I mutter off-handedly as I kick a piece of concrete that has literally fallen off what is supposed to be the loop for running track.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Don’t schools get funding from the state?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Why is literally everything broken and falling apart here?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dan barks out a surprised laugh at my question, the sound of it causes me to smile widely and fondly, feeling a surge of pride at drawing such a beautiful sound from him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Try spending three years here,” Dan teases me, a large smirk on his face and a mischievous glint in his eyes as he continues, “You’ve only been here for a little bit, imagine all the horrible shit that goes down here that you don't even know about. Like, have you seen any of the bathrooms here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a few seconds of hesitation, not liking where this line of conversation is taking us, I nervously ask, “No, what’s going on in the bathrooms?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a deadly serious look, Dan meets my eyes and whispers in a mock-horrified tone, “It’s absolute hell. To even speak of it would scar your poor Sophomore mind for life.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on, Dan,” I mutter while rolling my eyes, smacking his arm playfully as he begins laughing. “I can take it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, there’s some things better left unknown,” Dan says in what is supposed to be a serious tone, but his constant giggling ruins the effect.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, while visibly trying to pull himself together, Dan continues with a large smile, “Seriously, Arin, unless you have a death wish, don’t ever go in the bathrooms here. You might actually contract some kind of disease and die.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s that bad, huh?” I ask with a smirk, unable to believe that we are giggling and whispering over the school bathrooms like a bunch of children.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s the fucking worst!” Dan says adamantly as he looks me straight in the eyes, the seriousness he is trying to convey causes me to laugh. “I went to the South Hall boy’s bathroom one time during Freshman Year. I’ll never go into a school bathroom again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Would you rather pee your pants?” I ask as I cover my hand with my mouth, trying in vain to hide my giggles at our stupid conversation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Definitely,” Dan says without hesitation, the unmistakable confidence in his tone causes me to laugh loudly and uncontrollably, not expecting such an adamant response to my stupid question.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A moment later, Dan begins laughing too, both of us grinning and giggling like idiots as we walk through several different neighborhoods, no doubt disturbing all the people trying to enjoy the quiet of their homes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As we continue walking and laughing, Dan suddenly throws his hands around my shoulders, seeming like he can no longer support his own weight from how hard he is laughing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not expecting him to suddenly lean his weight on me, I stumble on the uneven sidewalk, sending me sprawling onto the ground, face first, of course.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shit, Arin, I’m sorry,” Dan immediately says as he kneels down beside me, his laughter instantly fading as he helps me sit up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though my chin hurts like hell, I give him a shaky smile and honestly say, “You’re fine. I’m so clumsy anyway that I probably would have tripped regardless.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really? You’re clumsy?” Dan asks with a soft chuckle, some of the worry leaving his face as he carefully looks me over, not seeing any signs of lasting injuries.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m so fucking clumsy,” I say without hesitation, a small smirk on my face as I continue, “You wouldn’t believe how much shit I drop and break every week.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dan giggles softly at my words, the sound causing me to smile widely, glad that I could make him feel less worried about me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a few more moments of giggling, Dan abruptly stands and reaches out a hand to help me up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As I grab his hand, I feel heat rush to my cheeks, realizing how many times Dan and I have already held hands, despite only meeting today.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I kinda… don’t want it to stop though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once I am on my feet again, we continue walking to his house in companionable silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This time I watch the ground as we walk, not wanting to embarrass myself by tripping again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Out of the corner of my eye, I notice that Dan and I are still holding hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wait… Dan and I are holding hands?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He helped me up already, so there’s no need to keep holding hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So, why did neither of us let go?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And why, now that I’ve realized this, do I still not want to let go.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Upon thinking that, I feel more heat rush to my cheeks, knowing that I must look like a fucking tomato by now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Beside me, Dan giggles softly and squeezes my hand, his reaction causing me to blush even more, suddenly feeling nervous, yet giddy, around him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hoping to distract myself from the pleasant heat his hand in mine emanates, I awkwardly clear my throat before saying, “So, how long till we get there?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s actually right up ahead,” Dan says with a soft smile as he releases my hand to point at one of the nearby houses. “It’s that pink one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though a part of me feels disappointed that he is no longer holding my hand, with a smirk forming, I nudge his side and teasingly ask, “You live in a pink house?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Dan says with a heavy sigh, pretending to be upset, but I can hear a small smile in his voice. “That’s what happens when my dad decides to let my mom and little sister choose where we live. We end up spending twelve years in a pink house.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is the inside pink too?” I ask in between giggles, unable to believe that Dan, someone who wears all black clothes, could live inside a pink house.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ll just have to find out for yourself,” Dan says in a teasing tone as he waggles his eyebrows, his words causing me to blush yet again, suddenly feeling nervous at the thought of coming over to Dan’s house.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I’m actually going inside his house. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I barely even know him, but I’m about to see his house.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once again, Dan giggles softly at my blushing, the sound of his laughter causes me to smile slightly, even if I’m still very nervous.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few moments later, Dan stops in front of a two-story home that is decently large, maybe three or four bedrooms. It has four windows facing the front, two large ones downstairs, and two smaller ones upstairs. The wooden door is an off-white color, fit with a large wreath surrounding the peephole. This wreath has a wide assortment of red, brown, and yellow fall leaves twisted into a circle, the bright colors of it making the house seem warm and inviting. Last, but certainly not least, Dan’s house is a very noticeable bright pink, the color of it causing me to smirk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wow, he wasn’t kidding about it being pink.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s not like one of those off-white or pale type houses that almost look pink. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>No, Dan’s house is a full-blown bubble gum or cotton candy-colored situation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though the color of the house stands out greatly among the browns, whites, and soft blues of his neighbors, I find myself liking the way his house looks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At the very least, it’s not hard to miss.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop judging my poor, cotton candy house,” Dan says in a mock-offended tone as he gently elbows my side, his reaction causing me to giggle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll try not to,” I say with a reluctant sigh as I nudge him back. “It’ll be hard though. There’s basically neon signs everywhere that say it tastes like candy. I’m surprised you don’t have kids running around trying to eat it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Haha, </span>
  <em>
    <span>very </span>
  </em>
  <span>funny,” Dan says in a humorless tone as he approaches the door, causing me to trail close behind him with a smile. “I’ll have to kick you out if you keep insulting my beautiful home that I have so generously invited you to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a few moments, I bite down on my bottom lip to keep from bursting out laughing, not wanting to laugh at his supposed to be serious threat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once I know I can talk without being overcome with laughter, I say with a large smile, “Okay, I’ll stop being mean to your house.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” Dan softly says as he unlocks his front door, but I see a small smile on his face, telling me that he isn’t actually upset that I’m teasing him about the color of his house.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once the door is open, Dan steps back and holds it wide for me to step inside, his gentlemanly gesture causing me to blush.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I duck my head as I step inside his house, trying to use my hair to hide the fact that I’m blushing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a soft giggle, Dan says in a cheery voice, “Arin, welcome to the Avidan abode!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>While smiling slightly, I slowly look around his living room/kitchen combo. On one corner of the living room is a large, 50’ tv mounted to the wall. Several feet in front of the tv is a large, dark gray sectional with several pale, gray-blue decorative pillows in the corners. On each side of the couch are small, twin oak tables, one housing two remotes, the other a lavender candle and a bamboo plant. Several feet in front of the couch rests an oak coffee table that houses a single sky-blue mug and matching coaster.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Meanwhile, the kitchen is equally as gorgeous, fit with black, white, and golden speckled granite on both the counters and the three-foot island. The cupboards are a pristine white, not even a speck of dirt in sight on any of them. Other than a small, bright red microwave and mahogany wooden tray for holding knives, the counters are entirely empty, making the kitchen appear even tidier. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hell, if I didn’t know any better, I would think that this living room and kitchen came out of a magazine. It looks so clean that it’s hard to believe anyone even lives here.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your house is really nice,” I say with a large smile as I turn toward Dan, feeling satisfied when I see a slight pink hue spread through his cheeks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looks cute when he blushes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Whoa, where the hell did a thought like that come from?!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I feel heat rushes to my own cheeks, embarrassed by where my mind just took me. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thankfully, I am pulled from my thoughts by Dan sheepishly whispering, “Thanks, man, glad you like it. I don’t really spend much time down here, so it stays pretty clean. My room is a different story though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh really?” I can’t help but ask, surprised that his room could be a mess when down here is practically spotless. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, with a growing smirk, I ask in a teasing tone, “Will I get to see? Or is it that bad?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe some other visit you’ll get to see </span>
  <em>
    <span>my bedroom</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Dan says with a smirk as he waggles his eyebrows, his words causing that familiar heat to rush to my cheeks. “I figured for this visit we could just hang out around here, maybe play some games on the couch.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, sure, sounds good,” I mutter after awkwardly clearing my throat, feeling very flustered as I wonder if the first thing he said was meant to be as suggestive as it sounded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dan chuckles at my nervousness, the melodic sound instant making me feel less embarrassed as I smile softly at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great, well, take a seat wherever you want,” Dan says in a calm, confident tone as he struts toward the kitchen. “I’m gonna grab a Coke, you want one?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure, that’ll be great,” I say with a small smile, excited by the prospect of having soda, something my parents rarely ever buy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a few moments of hesitation, I plop down in the middle of the couch, directly in front of the tv, wanting the best view for whatever it is that we decide to do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I can’t help but release a surprised chuckle as I sink into the soft, fluffy couch cushions, feeling like the couch is trying to swallow me up right now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quickly, I grab one of the decorative pillows and place it behind me, not wanting to get lost in the couch because, even though it sounds absurd, I think it could actually happen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a few moments of struggling to get comfortable, Dan comes walking into the living room, two bright red Coke cans in hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he sees me wrestling with the pillow and couch cushions, Dan says with a not-so-subtle smirk, “I swear that couch has a mind of its own sometimes. You try to sit on it, then suddenly you basically become it. I don’t know why my parents bought a couch with literally no support.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dan places the cans on the coffee table before plopping down on the couch beside me, immediately sinking deep into the cushions behind him, half of his body seeming to get engulfed by the couch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I gotta say that I didn’t expect my first time visiting someone else’s house would include us nearly getting eaten by a couch,” I say with a smirk after a few seconds of watching him fumble with a decorative pillow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dan releases a surprised giggle and happily says, “Glad I could give you an experience you’ll never forget. One day, this will make a great story.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, in a horribly done old man's voice, Dan continues, “Back in my day, my friends and I nearly got eaten by a couch. I swear, it just came to life and tried to eat us. We had to use pillows to stop it from getting us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s fucking stupid,” I mutter as he bursts into laughter, but I can’t help but giggle alongside him at his ridiculous story.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know, I thought it was pretty clever,” Dan says with a cheeky grin as he calms down from his fit of laughter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, sure it was,” I say sarcastically as I nudge his side with my elbow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Much to my surprise, he uses the momentum of my elbow to flop onto the couch, becoming further swallowed up by the couch as he playfully shouts, “Ah, help, the couch is too powerful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re such a goofball,” I mutter in between giggles as I watch him flail wildly on the couch cushions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Arin, save me,” Dan pleads loudly as he purposely shoves himself further against the back of the couch, making it to where the entire left side of his body is out of sight, obscured by the dark gray cushions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While still laughing, I reach out my hand toward him, deciding to humor him in his ridiculous display. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The second his hand grabs mine, I gently pull him toward me, still giggling madly, my side now starting to hurt from laughing so much.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once he is sitting up again, a blue decorative pillow behind him to keep him from sinking too far back into the couch, Dan sighs overdramatically and says in a relieved tone, “Whew, thanks for getting me out of that mess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, sure, glad I could save you from the evil couch monster,” I say with a cheeky grin, releasing his hand to give him a goofy thumbs up that causes him to giggle as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, now that we've gotten that out of the way, what do you want to do?” Dan asks with a dazzling smile, still giggling occasionally over his unnecessary role-playing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly feeling nervous again about being at someone’s house for the first time, I mumble uncertainly, “Um, maybe we could play a game or something?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s do it!” Dan exclaims excitedly as he jumps up from the couch and marches purposefully toward the tv, his unparalleled confidence causing me to smirk slightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He really does seem so sure of himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a large smile, Dan turns on his Xbox, the white console coming to life with a loud chime, a green and white logo immediately appearing on his tv.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What games do you have?” I ask with a smile as he returns to the couch, feeling my nervousness fade, instead being replaced by the excitement of playing games on a fancy console that’s at least ten years newer than anything at my house. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anything you want,” Dan says smoothly as he plops down beside me, thankfully not making any more comments about his hungry couch shifting around him. “I hardly use this thing, but my parents said I could buy anything I wanna play.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a few seconds, I feel a strong surge of jealousy over Dan’s beautiful house and the ability to play anything he wants to, as if money is nothing special.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And maybe it isn’t.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe his family is totally loaded, and being able to buy anything he wants is nothing new.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe that’s why his house looks like it came out of a goddamn magazine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While squashing down my jealousy, I hesitantly ask about a game I’ve heard lots of great things about, but never been able to play myself, “How about Dead By Daylight?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh, I don’t know what that is, let me check the store for it,” Dan says after a few seconds of scrolling through his massive library of games that must have cost a fortune.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I quietly watch as he searches up DBD, hoping that it’ll be on here so we could play it together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It seems so fun.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And I bet it will be even more fun to see if Dan’s easily scared.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, here it is!” Dan excitedly says as he presses buy and immediately begins the download without even reading what it’s about, his easy agreeance shocking me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As we wait for the game to download, Dan resumes scrolling through all his games, but this time he tells me a little bit about them, his descriptions make me want to try each and every one of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For the next few hours, we take turns playing DBD. I mostly played as the killer, especially the Wraith, one whose ability to go invisible always seemed interesting to me when I watched the game on YouTube. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Meanwhile, much to my amusement, Dan mostly played as a survivor, often spending his time screaming and running in circles rather than fixing any generators.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All in all, it was fucking amazing and hilarious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m gonna head to the bathroom real quick,” Dan mutters a little shakily after getting hooked for the third time that game, his instant death caused him to blanch as I just laughed my ass off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While still laughing hard, I just nod my head in confirmation, looking forward to when he returns so I can show him how to actually play survivor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As I wait, I grab my phone, deciding to scroll through Twitter to catch up on the latest news before he comes back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead, before even unlocking my phone, I am met by a plethora of notifications, the reason why I’m here in the first place suddenly rushing back to me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>37 missed calls from my dad, 62 from my mom, and 23 text notifications.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fuck, they’re really worried about me… </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As I look at my recent calls, debating if I should call one of them back, an incoming call from my mom rings out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Dan,” I say hesitantly as he walks back into the living room, not wanting to answer this call, but knowing that I really should. “My mom's calling me right now. Both my parents seem really worried, so I should probably answer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a wink as he sits beside me again, Dan pinches his fingers together and brushes them across his lips, pretending to zip them shut to show he will be quiet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As I giggle at his response, I slowly move my hand, my finger hovering over the answer call button, but I can’t seem to bring myself to press it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I don’t want to have this conversation...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I just want to stay here with Dan and avoid my parents forever…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But, I have to face them, or else they might report me missing and get the police involved…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Okay... Let’s do this...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The second the call connects, in a panicked tone, my mom loudly asks, “Arin?! Are you okay?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine, Mom,” I softly say as I stare at the shaggy beige rug on the floor in front of Dan’s couch, fighting the urge to sigh at her over-exaggeration.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m so glad you’re okay,” my mom says with a heavy sigh, sounding relieved to the point of tears, her reaction causing a stab of guilt to course through me. “Where are you? I’ll come and pick you up right away.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a few seconds, I just worry my bottom lip, unsure what I should do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>On one hand, I want to stay here forever, living in the bliss that is finally having a friend and being able to do stuff with him, even if my mom doesn’t want me to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>On the other hand though, I know that the longer I stay here, the more my parents will panic and worry about my well-being.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Deciding that my friendship with Dan is something worth fighting for, I say with as much confidence as I can muster, “I’m at Dan’s house and I’m not leaving.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?!” My mom exclaims in total alarm, seeming appalled that I would be at his house right now, especially since they’ve never let me go to someone’s house before. “Come home now, you shouldn’t even be anywhere near him, let alone his house!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you shouldn’t be trying to control who I can be friends with!” I exclaim in frustration, trying so hard to not yell, but becoming upset with the unfairness of it all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, while releasing a heavy sigh in hopes to calm down somewhat, I say in a much quieter tone, “I haven’t had friends for </span>
  <em>
    <span>years</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Years, Mom. I’m so lonely. And now that I’ve found a friend, you’re trying to take him away from me. I don’t think that’s fair.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a very long time, my mom doesn’t say anything, the unnerving silence causing me to check a couple of times to see if the call was dropped and that’s why she’s so quiet, but she’s still there, making me wish that I could see her face right now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, with a heavy sigh, my mom relents, “You’re right, it’s not fair of me. I know how badly you want friends… I just... Are you sure you really want to be friends with someone like him? Doesn’t he seem like… bad news?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While trying my best not to let my frustration build, strongly feeling the need to defend Dan from these unwarranted accusations, I say as calmly as I can, “No, I don’t think he’s bad news. I know I don’t know him that well, but I know enough.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, while turning toward Dan for the first time since this conversation started, I see the glossiness in his eyes from tears he’s trying hard not to cry, the sight causing me to say with a soft smile, “I really like him. He’s sweet, funny, and he’s honest and real. He’s not afraid to show his emotions like so many people, and he and I can joke around so easily, it feels like we’ve been friends for years. I don’t care how he looks; clothing doesn’t make a person, what’s on the inside is all that matters.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Dan flashes me the largest, most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen, I swear I feel my heart melt, knowing that, no matter what anyone else says, this is worth fighting for.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dan is worth fighting for.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While still smiling widely, Dan mouths </span>
  <em>
    <span>thank you</span>
  </em>
  <span>, his gratitude causing me to smile wider, knowing that I’m doing the right thing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I don’t know the last time someone stood up for Dan, maybe no one ever has, but I sure as hell am glad that I can right now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He deserves this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He deserves to have a friend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Someone to be there for him always, to laugh with during the good times, and to hold him during the bad. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After another agonizingly long pause, my mom sighs heavily before softly asking, “Can you put the phone on speaker?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though I want to demand why she feels the need to talk to Dan, his tears over her earlier words still fresh in my mind, I bite my tongue, knowing that, since she might be coming around on the idea of us being friends, I should at least try to give her the benefit of the doubt with this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While hoping that I don’t regret this, I put the phone on speaker before muttering, “We can both hear you now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Dan shoots me a questioning look, I just shrug my shoulders, knowing that his guess as to what’s about to happen is as good as mine. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With another sigh, this one not as heavy as the others, but still making her sound troubled and weary, my mom softly says, “I want to apologize to both of you. I was concerned about Arin’s well-being, and I unfairly judged you, Dan. I’m sorry for that. And Arin, I’m sorry for not listening to you sooner. We taught you not to judge people based on their looks, but that’s what I did today. I hope you two can forgive me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For several moments, I just stare down at my phone in shock, my mouth opening and closing uselessly as I struggle to find anything to say.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thankfully, Dan breaks the silence by saying with a soft smile, “Thank you, Mrs. Hanson, I really appreciate you giving me a chance. I promise I won’t let you down.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re welcome, Hon’,” my mom says, a small smile heard in her voice, her nickname drop making me smile widely, knowing that she definitely liked what he said to call him that. “And call me Maurette, ‘Mrs. Hanson’ makes me feel like an old lady.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mom, you are an old lady,” I tease gently once I notice the shocked expression on Dan’s face, wanting to save him from trying to figure out how to respond to my mom’s abrupt change of heart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am not!” My mom exclaims adamantly in a faux-hurt tone, her reaction causing me to roll my eyes fondly, thankful for the change from our previously heavy mood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure, Mom, whatever you say,” I tease with a smirk, smiling widely at her indignant huff.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a few moments of silence, I softly say with a smile, “Thanks, Mom, seriously. I know you just want to keep me safe, so I’m really glad you’re letting me do this. And don’t worry, I have great parents, I’m gonna be okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, Sweetheart, I’m very happy you think so,” my mom whispers, her voice a little strained, making me hope that she isn’t about to cry right now. “I sure felt like a bad mom today, so I appreciate the encouragement.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anytime, especially since you’re not a bad mom; I think you’re wonderful,” I say without hesitation, not wanting her to think that for even a second.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sure, she’s made me super frustrated today, but I know her heart is in the right place.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All she wants is to keep me safe; I could never consider her a bad mom for doing that, even if her actions weren’t the best. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Honey; I think you’re wonderful too,” my mom whispers as she sniffles, definitely sounding like she’s crying right now, the sound of her sadness causing me to frown, wishing that I could give her a hug right now to make her feel better.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Love you, Mom,” I murmur truthfully, knowing that, no matter what happens, I’ll always love her with all my heart. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Love you too, Honey,” my mom softly says, her voice even more strained from the tears that must be falling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Surprisingly, after loudly clearing her throat, my mom asks in a much louder tone, “Is Dan still there?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am,” Dan says after a few moments of hesitation, sitting up a little straighter on the couch as he begins twisting his hands together nervously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you bring Arin back home by eight?” My mom asks after a few moments of hesitation, her words causing me to beam, so fucking happy that not only is she letting me stay longer, but that she’s asking him this. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead of just telling me she wants me to be home by eight, she’s giving him her trust, especially since I’ve never been allowed to stay out so late before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’ll make sure he gets home safely,” Dan promises without hesitation, afterward biting down on his bottom lip, seeming like he’s trying hard to hold back a smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” my mom says with a heavy sigh, seeming genuinely relieved by his words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, with what sounds like a smile, my mom softly says, “You boys have fun, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We will!” I exclaim happily while still smiling, unable to believe how well this all went. “Thank you, Mom!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, Sweetheart,” my mom says without hesitation, her smile sounding much wider. “I’ll see you soon.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“See you soon,” I say with my smile still in place, so fucking happy right now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The second my mom hangs up, I turn toward Dan, smiling even wider when I see the large smile he has too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before I can talk about how excited I am to be his friend, Dan meets my gaze and softly says, “Thank you, Ar.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What for?” I ask after a few seconds of hesitation, my smile fading, instead being replaced by a confused frown.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You stood up for me,” Dan says in that same gentle tone, but now he looks away from me, his eyes becoming glossy again from unshed tears. “Mark’s the only one who’s ever stood up for me before, but he’s a teacher, so it’s kinda his job.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, while chuckling sadly and meeting my eyes again, Dan continues, “I just really fucking appreciate it. I… I don’t know why you’d go through so much trouble for me, but thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, it’s no trouble at all,” I say without hesitation as I sit on the couch beside him, placing my hand in between us, not yet touching him, but reaching out to him in case he wants to be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I can’t help but smile when he immediately rests his hand on top of mine, his action causing me to continue with renewed determination, “I meant everything I said to her, Dan. You’re funny, you’re so real with me, and you make me feel special. You’re worth standing up for, and it’s no trouble at all to show others how great I think you are.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“God, Ar, you’re gonna make me fucking cry,” Dan mutters with a watery chuckle, a few tears silently cascading down his cheeks. “Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re welcome, Dan; that’s what friends are for,” I say with a sad smile, feeling upset that Dan has clearly never had someone tell him how great he is, but thankful that I can be here to do it. “We’ll protect each other. I know I’m new to your class, but I saw the way some of those kids looked at you, and I hated it. I’m here for you, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” Dan whispers in between sniffles, afterward biting down on his bottom lip, seeming like he’s trying so hard to not burst into sobs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever life throws our way, we’ll get through it,” I continue softly, feeling like Dan could really use some more reassurance. “Together.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Together,” Dan softly says with a watery smile, his gaze filled with so much… fondness? when he meets my eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I can’t help but smile widely at his response, warmth and happiness building in my chest at the look he gave me. Even though I don’t really understand the meaning behind that fondness, it makes me feel loved and appreciated by him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After wiping away his tears and taking a deep breath, Dan smiles shakily and awkwardly asks, “So, where were we?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a smirk, I can’t help but teasingly say, “Well, I believe I was about to show you how to actually play Pyramid Head since you got your ass kicked by those survivors.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As if!” Dan scoffs loudly, his adamant reaction causing me to chuckle. “You tried to hold your controller upside down a couple hours ago, you really think you can do better than me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bring it on!” I exclaim with a smirk, not letting his jab about me never playing console bother me, instead diving across the couch to steal his controller. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Arin?!” Dan laughs in shock as I land partially on his lap in order to grab his controller. “What the fuck are you doing?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m taking your shit </span>
  <em>
    <span>and </span>
  </em>
  <span>distracting you,” I tease with a wink as I stubbornly keep my arms and torso stretched out across his lap. “I think it’s working too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Immediately, Dan’s cheeks turn a bright shade of pink, the sight causing me to smirk deeply, knowing that I was </span>
  <em>
    <span>definitely </span>
  </em>
  <span>distracting him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Deciding to show him a little mercy, I climb off of him, instead focusing my attention on the character select screen and choosing Pyramid Head, the first killer Dan had tried tonight and, unsurprisingly, absolutely sucked at.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As I wait to find an open lobby, I glance over at Dan to find him with his hands braced against the couch cushions, seeming like he’s about to stand up and leave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instantly alarmed that I did something wrong, I quickly and sheepishly apologize, “Hey, I’m sorry. I probably shouldn’t have done that... Please, don’t leave, I won’t do it again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!” Dan blurts, his reaction causing me to frown, once again confused by what he means. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, as that same blush creeps into his cheeks, Dan mutters, “I… I kinda liked it. I mean not so much the part about you being on my lap, but just like, being close to you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While smiling fondly at his nervous rambling, I happily say, “Well, I do have a shoulder that could make a comfy pillow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Immediately, Dan’s head snaps up, surprise on his face as he meets my gaze shyly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a few seconds of just looking at me, Dan hesitantly asks, “Yeah? You sure I won’t get in your way?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nah, you won’t,” I say without hesitation, still smiling at his shyness, finding it very endearing how, for someone who acted so calm and collected during class, he is willing to be nervous around me. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With another shy smile, Dan scoots closer to me. Once he is pressed against my side, he gently rests his head on my shoulder before turning his attention toward the tv screen, which is now showing that stupid map we had earlier where survivors could jump on top of cars to not be hit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No fair, this map fucking sucks!” I exclaim as I start looking for the generators where survivors might be, but I don’t actually feel upset. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hell, I don’t know how I could feel upset right now, especially with Dan’s head resting on my shoulder, his body shaking slightly from laughter at my words, the sweet sound of his joy causing my heart to soar. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re are </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> getting wrecked,” Dan happily says as he giggles at me trying to hit a survivor but, of fucking course, they jumped on a car out of reach. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No way, they’re getting absolutely shit on,” I confidently say even though that couldn’t be farther from the truth, but it works, causing Dan to laugh even harder like I wanted him to. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As we continue trading games and banter, still sitting close to one another, I can’t help but feel so fucking happy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I finally have a friend, and it’s even better than I could have imagined!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And sure, maybe he isn’t the coolest or most-liked guy at our school, but I don’t care. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I like him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And he likes me!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s no secret now: Dan and I are gonna be friends for a long, long time. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey again, everyone! :)</p><p>Omg, I'm so happy I finally finished this chapter! I feel like this took forever!! I've had the first 4k words of this chapter written for almost two weeks now, but I've been sick for almost two weeks now, so getting those last thousand words of this chapter done was pretty tough! I finally started feeling better today though, so you all get the final chapter of this story! Yay! I think it turned out pretty well, so I hope you all liked it! :)</p><p>I am totally blown away at how many people have read this story so far! I especially love seeing all the kudos and reading the lovely comments I've gotten! You all are absolutely wonderful!! :D &lt;3 &lt;3 &lt;3</p><p>As always, thanks for reading, commenting, and leaving kudos!! I appreciate you all! :D &lt;3 Thank you all so very much for joining me on this journey; I'm so happy to have completed my first chapter story in the Game Grumps fandom, so thanks for being here with me too!!! I also have some other Game Grumps stories so, if you enjoyed this one, feel free to check out my other ones!! :D &lt;3</p><p>- Crimson</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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